Annie Hall (1977)

Though I really loved this the first time I saw it 30ish years ago, it has not aged well. I'm not even talking about the "child molesters" comment early on and the later mention of a sexual encounter with 16-year-old twins (though they do land with heavy thuds now that we know what we know). I mean that I've seen better versions of this story in the near 50 years since its release with better direction and better performances.

I don't begrudge this groundbreaking film its place in history. This must've felt so fresh in the way it broke the fourth wall with regularity and refused to adhere to a linear timeline. Alvy himself is a romantic lead that hadn't been seen: he's built like a 13-year-old waiting for his growth spurt with a personality that could be described as "perpetual gripe," but it told the truth that women can see past quite a bit in pursuit of a compatible mate.

That said, this has become nothing more than a curious time capsule I'm unlikely to visit again.

C+