# What are your Top Five Woody Allen Movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658 "2015-07-19T23:53:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/1 "2015-07-19T23:53:50Z")
See [Highest Rated Feature Film Titles With Woody Allen](http://www.imdb.com/filmosearch?explore=title_type&role=nm0000095&ref_=filmo_ref_typ&sort=user_rating,desc&mode=detail&page=1&title_type=movie) for a complete listing of his films, but I’ve selected these for the thread: 1. The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) 2. Annie Hall (1977) 3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) 4. Manhattan (1979) 5. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) 6. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) 7. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) 8. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) 9. Zelig (1983) 10. Love and Death (1975) 11. Midnight in Paris (2011) 12. Match Point (2005) 13. Play It Again, Sam (1972) 14. Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012) 15. Radio Days (1987) 16. Husbands and Wives (1992) 17. Beyond the Mat (1999) 18. Casting By (2012) 19. Hail Sid Caesar! The Golden Age of Comedy (2001) 20. Irrational Man (2015) 21. Bullets Over Broadway (1994) 22. Stardust Memories (1980) 23. Interiors (1978) 24. Broadway Danny Rose (1984) 25. To Woody Allen from Europe with Love (1980) 26. Deconstructing Harry (1997) 27. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) 28. Another Woman (1988) 29. The Front (1976) 30. Blue Jasmine (2013) 31. Paris, je t’aime (2006) 32. Sweet and Lowdown (1999) 33. Sleeper (1973) 34. Take the Money and Run (1969) 35. Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007) 36. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) 37. Whatever Works (2009) 38. Trespassing Bergman (2013) 39. Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love (2013) 40. Mighty Aphrodite (1995) 41. Bananas (1971) 42. The Unbelievers (2013) 43. To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable Story of Brother Theodore (2007) 44. …But Film is My Mistress (2010) 45. Wild Man Blues (1997) 46. Everyone Says I Love You (1996) 47. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex \* But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) **Pick your Top Five and post them here** ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/2 "2015-07-20T00:02:05Z")
From that list I believe I’ve only seen 11 of the movies, however I adore Woody Allen. Here’s what I pared it down to. 1. Annie Hall (1977) 2. Radio Days (1987) 3. Sleeper (1973) 4. Take the Money and Run (1969) 5. Bananas (1971) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/3 "2015-07-20T00:04:15Z")
Yay! Thanks, **Zeldar**. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Annie Hall (1977) Match Point (2005) Blue Jasmine (2013) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/4 "2015-07-20T02:14:01Z")
Annie Hall Hannah and Her Sisters Love and Death Bullets Over Broadway Manhattan Special choice for a film he only acted in: Picking Up the Pieces, where he played a Texan (his nickname is “Tex”) who murdered his wife (Sharon Stone) and leaves her dismembered hand in a small town in New Mexico. It’s a very weird comedy. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/5 "2015-07-20T02:28:16Z")
Annie Hall (1977) Zelig (1983) Love and Death (1975) Sleeper (1973) Bananas (1971) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/6 "2015-07-20T05:07:58Z")
_Play It Again, Sam_ (1972) _Annie Hall_ (1977) _Hannah and Her Sisters_ (1986) _Manhattan_ (1979) _Midnight in Paris_ (2011) Incidentally, _The Sorrow and the Pity_ (1969) has nothing to do with Woody Allen. He mentions that movie in _Annie Hall_ at one point, but otherwise it’s unrelated to him. The creator of that list you link to is either joking or severely confused. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/7 "2015-07-20T05:14:27Z")
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Radio Days (1987) Stardust Memories (1980) Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Manhattan (1979) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/8 "2015-07-20T05:30:59Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Incidentally, _The Sorrow and the Pity_ (1969) has nothing to do with Woody Allen. He mentions that movie in _Annie Hall_ at one point, but otherwise it’s unrelated to him. The creator of that list you link to is either joking or severely confused. Thanks for the info here. I wanted to be sure to get both his acting and directing credits but I didn’t check the results all that carefully – obviously. I just hope no fans of _The Sorrow and the Pity_ were startled to think Woody was somehow involved. 🙂 ETA: So far, nobody has taken the bait to include it in their Top Five! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/9 "2015-07-20T06:05:00Z")
Annie Hall Sleeper Manhattan Hannah and Her Sisters Midnight in Paris ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/10 "2015-07-20T07:19:35Z")
I tried my best. I couldn’t get my list shorter than 10— 1. Annie Hall (1977) 2. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) 3. Manhattan (1979) 4. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) 5. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) 6. Love and Death (1975) 7. Midnight in Paris (2011) 8. Play It Again, Sam (1972) 9. Radio Days (1987) 10. Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Of these, only “Love and Death,” “Midnight in Paris,” and “Play It Again, Sam” are less than all-around perfect, but each of them has such perfect moments, I can’t cut them. I really hope he’s not a child molester. The thought of that seriously bums me out. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/11 "2015-07-20T09:09:37Z")
I was easily able to pick my favorite seven. Getting it down to five was difficult because they’re all really close and ranking them would depend on my mood. On this day at this time, I chose these as the top five: [ol] [li]Purple Rose of Cairo[/li][li]Love and Death[/li][li]Sweet and Lowdown[/li][li]Bullets Over Broadway[/li][li]Melinda and Melinda[/li][/ol] On any other given day, either of these could have knocked any of the above (except _Purple Rose of Cairo_) off the list: [ul] [li]Hannah and Her Sisters[/li][li]Crimes and Misdemeanors[/li][/ul] By the way, **Zeldar** , bizarre choice of how to select a master list. There’s a lot on there that he barely has anything to do with- documentaries for which he may be one of many interviews, and _The Sorrow and the Pity_, really? I think he had something to do with the restoration and theatrical rerelease about 10 or 15 years ago, that’s gotta be the reason it came up on the list. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/12 "2015-07-20T11:11:48Z")
Crimes and Misdemeanors Blue Jasmine Bananas Broadway Danny Rose Sleeper (Honorable mention: Radio Days) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/13 "2015-07-20T11:16:21Z")
Manhattan Love and Death Radio Days Sleeper Zelig ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/14 "2015-07-20T11:49:59Z")
_Annie Hall_ (1977) _Midnight in Paris_ (2011) _Match Point_ (2005) _Broadway Danny Rose_ (1984) _The Front_ (1976) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/15 "2015-07-20T11:57:15Z")
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) Play It Again, Sam (1972) Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Sleeper (1973) Radio Days (1987) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/16 "2015-07-20T12:15:57Z")
I didn’t see **Shadows and Fog** on the OP’s list. It’s a big favorite of mine, as it cribs a lot from John Whale’s **Frankenstein** and gives an intriguing glimpse at what a Woody Allen **Frankenstein** would look like. My favorites: **Crimes and Misdemeanors Midnight in Paris Annie Hall Zelig Broadway Danny Rose** My 5 least favorites: **Blue Jasmine Husbands and Wives Celebrity Deconstructing Harry Celebrity** I’m a little surprised at how many of his movies I haven’t seen. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/17 "2015-07-20T13:05:26Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I’m a little surprised at how many of his movies I haven’t seen. Well, in all fairness, many of the films on the OP’s list are not Woody Allen films. 😃 You’ve inspired me to rewatch _Shadows and Fog_. I’ve watched it more than once (I have the DVD in a boxed set) but I haven’t watched it in years. My previous viewings were, I remember, enjoyable enough but it just never stuck with me. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/18 "2015-07-20T13:20:31Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I didn’t see **Shadows and Fog** on the OP’s list. It’s a big favorite of mine, as it cribs a lot from John Whale’s **Frankenstein** and gives an intriguing glimpse at what a Woody Allen **Frankenstein** would look like. > … Try the “next page” listing. > [@](#): > > Shadows and Fog > > 1. Shadows and Fog (1991) > > PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy > > With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer. > > Writer: Woody Allen | Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Michael Kirby, David Ogden Stiers > > Votes: 12,106 In these threads dealing with actors and directors (so far) I have used the IMDb supplements for a titles source and picked the Top 50 (if there are more than that listed) as a starting point. You don’t have to be limited to the ones I post and can pick anything done by that filmmaker. If you’d like a second crack at a Top Five, I can disregard the first post if you wish. At some point (after at least 20 Voters/Posters) I’ll try to summarize the responses in a post here. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/19 "2015-07-20T16:29:56Z")
I’m not much of a Woody Allen fan, so my choices will not coincide with those of his admirers. My favorites were probably (in no special order): _**Broadway Danny Rose Radio Days Take the Money and Run Play It Again, Sam Sleeper**_ To show you how little of a fan I am, I almost included _ **Antz** _ in the top five! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658/20 "2015-07-21T00:50:29Z")
1. Crimes and Misdemeanors 2. Zelig 3. Midnight in Paris 4. Bananas 5. Annie Hall [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-five-woody-allen-movies/725658.md?page=2)