Woody Allen's oeuvre ranked (with brief notes)
I've usually seen all but the latest Allen film, as I have shed my long standing practice of automatically going to the cinema to see every film he makes. It's just not worth it any more. I wait for home viewing.
I was a big fan of his work in the 20th century, but like most people, I feel the quality of his work in the new millennium has been, at best "up and down like a whores drawers".
This list contains a few peripheral entries such as Allen documentaries, and "Play It Again Sam", of which Woody wrote the source play, but did not direct.
PS, I read Allen's autobiography "Apropos of Nothing", and thought it quite good.
I was a big fan of his work in the 20th century, but like most people, I feel the quality of his work in the new millennium has been, at best "up and down like a whores drawers".
This list contains a few peripheral entries such as Allen documentaries, and "Play It Again Sam", of which Woody wrote the source play, but did not direct.
PS, I read Allen's autobiography "Apropos of Nothing", and thought it quite good.
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- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenCharlotte RamplingJessica HarperWhile attending a retrospective of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.Under-seen Allen gem that flopped when it came out. I was in heaven watching it when I discovered it. A must for Woody fans (that many may not have seen).
It does have a Fellini influence, and Preston Sturges excellent film "Sullivan's Travels" comes to mind as well, but this picture is also pure Woody.
10.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMartin LandauWoody AllenBill BernsteinAn ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.Prime Woody. Dostoevsky-like, with a bit of comedy as well. Up there at the very highest level with any film ever made.
10.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsAlvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.Prime Woody. A film from tip to tail that only he could have made. This is the "auteur" theory in action. Any five minutes of this film would be easily identified as Woody's work (and certainly one of his best).
10.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMichael CaineBetween two Thanksgivings two years apart, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.A must. Woody is in top form on this one. I remember him saying he thought he copped out on the ending, but most viewers don't mind the ending at all.
9.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonJohn BeckA nerdish store owner is revived out of cryostasis into a future world to fight an oppressive government.One of, if not the best of the best of the early "mad-cap" Woody films.
9.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonJerry AdlerA middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.Perhaps the best 'Woody light' film. There is excellent chemistry amongst the cast, and a little relationship pith around the edges.
I also like the homage to 'The Lady From Shanghai' at the end.
9.1 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowNick Apollo ForteIn his attempts to reconcile a lounge singer with his mistress, a hapless talent agent is mistaken as her lover by a jealous gangster.I think we were all impressed that Mia Farrow had the range to pull off her character with such aplomb. It was certainly outside the bounds of what she'd done in the past. Apparently, the character is based on a woman that ran an eatery that Woody and Mia frequented This is a great picture, that sadly gets very little attention.
9.1 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsRebecca HallScarlett JohanssonJavier BardemTwo friends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.I'm surprised to hear that some Woody fans don't like this film. For me, it is the best film of his in the last 15 years. It is a film with an anti-romantic message though. Maybe some don't like that about it.
9.1 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsDiane KeatonGeraldine PageKristin GriffithThree sisters find their lives spinning out of control in the wake of their parents' sudden, unexpected divorce.Woody's first drama is excellent. It's very Ingmar Bergman-like. Bergman is my personal favorite director, and I know his oeuvre well (I have seen 30 of his films). I think Interiors works beautifully.
9.1 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMike StarrA nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium.A lovely nostalgic, warm film. It's got a conventional approach to the storytelling, but there is no weakness here at all.
9.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenJanet MargolinMarcel HillaireThe life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber.When Woody had finished this film, it ran like a bunch of stand alone gags. An ace veteran editor was brought in to help, and Allen said afterwards that he never learned more from anyone regarding the craft of film making.
8.9 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonMariel HemingwayThe life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.Gordon Willis photographed the film so beautifully. Woody was so displeased with the way the film turned out, versus what was in his mind's eye, he offered to do a film for free if the studio would NOT release Manhattan.
I have found (and a fellow Allen fan agreed) that this film is dating somewhat these days. It would have been in my top three five years ago.
8.9 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowSydney PollackWhen their best friends announce that they're separating, a professor and his wife discover the faults in their own marriage.It has a nouvelle vague influence that I like, and the story and performances are very good. It's a great serious Allen film.
Can you imagine, Mia Farrow had to come back and shoot a few final days on this film AFTER the Soon-Yi scandal. Unbelievable. She is a pro that's for sure!
8.7 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenJudy DavisJulia Louis-DreyfusSuffering from writer's block and eagerly awaiting his writing award, Harry Block remembers events from his past and scenes from his best-selling books as characters, real and fictional, come back to haunt him.A New Wave influenced Allen film that has fictionalized versions of all the main characters, so hence, almost a double cast.
I've enjoyed it every time I've watched it.
8.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsJohn CusackDianne WiestJennifer TillyIn New York in 1928, a struggling playwright is forced to cast a mobster's talentless girlfriend in his latest drama in order to get it produced.An excellent lighter Allen film. Dianne Wiest is very funny as the diva.
8.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowPatrick Horgan"Documentary" about a man who can look and act like whoever he's around, and meets various famous people.Pseudo-documentary that is technically very well done, funny, and touching, and makes an important point about conformity.
8.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsSean PennSamantha MortonWoody AllenIn the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.Penn is great, so is Morton. It is a riff on one of Woody's first ideas for a film script that was to be called 'Jazz Babies'.
8.4 - DirectorHerbert RossStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsA film critic obsessed with Casablanca (1942) seeks to get over his wife leaving him by dating again with the help of a married couple and his illusory idol, Humphrey Bogart.Not directed by Woody, but based on his play. It is a very good film.
8.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsOwen WilsonRachel McAdamsKathy BatesWhile on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.'Woody light', done right. It was Allen's biggest box office success.
8.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsScarlett JohanssonJonathan Rhys MeyersEmily MortimerAt a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for an actress who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law.Different for Woody in that there is no Woody like character in it. I find this to be a very good thriller.
8.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsElaine StritchDenholm ElliottMia FarrowAt a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane, who's in a relationship with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's married with children.The entire film was re-shot, with several parts re-cast, because Allen was so displeased with the result he achieved.
I think this is a very good drama. One could say it's Allen's riff on "Autumn Sonata" by Bergman. Hey, if you're gonna steal, steal from the best...
8.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenLouise LasserCarlos MontalbánWhen a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girlfriend, he travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion.Cute madcap comedy that works beautifully, even though it is a bit all over the place.
8.0 - 1985– 3h 12mNot Rated7.7 (5.3K)TV EpisodeDirectorRobert B. WeideStarsWoody AllenLetty AronsonMarshall BrickmanA documentary on Woody Allen that trails him on his movie sets and follows him back to Brooklyn as he visits his childhood haunts.Essential viewing for fans. I've read a lot about Woody through the years, and this is a very good doc.
The Stig Bjorkman book "Woody Allen on Woody Allen" though, is even better.
7.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsGena RowlandsMia FarrowIan HolmFacing a mid-life crisis, a woman rents an apartment next to a psychiatrist's office to write a new book, only to become drawn to the plight of a pregnant woman seeking that doctor's help.It's a nice watch, and it's mood lingers with me. For some reason though, I don't find it as effective as, say, "Interiors".
7.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowJeff DanielsDanny AielloIn 1935 New Jersey, a movie character walks off the screen and into the real world.This film is worshiped by many. I think it's a good film, but no where near Allen's best works with regards to impact, or insight.
7.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowJosé FerrerA wacky inventor and his wife invite two other couples for a weekend party at a romantic summer house in the 1900s countryside.Slight, but a nice watch. Interesting at that time to see Allen make a picture that was not set in the city.
7.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsKenneth BranaghJudy DavisLeonardo DiCaprioThe fortunes of a husband and wife differ drastically after they divorce.There's the odd bit of clunk to this film, but generally I liked it a lot. Kenneth Branagh does a good "Woody" in the lead.
7.3 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsEvan Rachel WoodLarry DavidHenry CavillA middle-aged, misanthropic divorcé from New York City surprisingly enters a fulfilling, Pygmalion-type relationship with a much younger, unsophisticated Southern girl.I could see Republicans just hating this film. Most are probably not Allen fans in the first place. It's message of "come to NY, and discover the real you, and be happy" is heavy-handed, but this film just works nicely for me. I like Larry David in the lead.
7.2 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsTimothée ChalametElle FanningLiev SchreiberA young couple arrives in New York for a weekend where they are met with bad weather and a series of adventures.I liked Chalmet in the lead, and the other stars Fanning, Gomez, Law etc.) did well also. Generally, quite an enjoyable watch, with a couple of instances of plot holes, though nothing major.
7.1 - DirectorBarbara KoppleStarsWoody AllenLetty AronsonSoon-Yi PrevinAcademy Award-winner Barbara Kopple directs this documentary portrait of Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Woody Allen, seen traveling with friends and fellow musicians during their New Orleans jazz band's 1996 European tour. Allen's relationship with his wife Soon-Yi Previn is captured on film here for the first time, and others on the European jaunt include Allen's sister Letty Aronson. Followed by press, paparazzi, and gushing admirers, Allen returns home to face a more realistic critical assessment during "the lunch from hell" with his aged parents.His Jazz band tours Europe, and we are along for the ride. Well done doc.
7.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenTracey UllmanHugh GrantA loser of a crook and his wife strike it rich when a botched bank job's cover business becomes a spectacular success.There are a few Allen films that, despite their short-comings, still work just fine. This is one of them. Tracey Ullman is quite good. I do also love the "nouveau riche" apartment the couple create. It is just godawful.
6.9 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWill FerrellVinessa ShawChiwetel EjioforTwo alternating stories, one comedy and the other tragedy, about Melinda's attempts to straighten out her life.This picture is better than I'd heard it was. A very good lead performance by the actress who plays Melinda.
6.8 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsColin FarrellEwan McGregorHayley AtwellThe tale of two brothers with serious financial woes. When a third party proposes they turn to crime, things go badly and the two become enemies.I didn't like Colin Farrell in this, but Ewan was quite good. I'd describe this film as a poor man's 'Match Point'.
6.5 - 19721h 28mR6.7 (42K)66MetascoreDirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenGene WilderLouise LasserSeven stories are trying to answer the question: what is sex? Or maybe they are not trying.The last skit is by far the best.
6.4 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMia FarrowMichael KirbyWith a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.It has improved for me on repeat viewings, but it is essentially a pretty good version of woody's early Kafkaesque play "A Death".
6.2 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonGeorges AdetIn czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.I enjoyed it quite a bit the first few times through, but over the years, the more I watch this film, the less I like it.
5.7 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsJoaquin PhoenixEmma StoneParker PoseyA tormented philosophy professor finds a will to live when he commits an existential act.The bulk of the film was quite good. The ending fails for me. The flashlight...that's not good writing.
Woody should watch some Asghar Farhadi films if he wants some tips on how to do moral complexity in a quality way.
5.7 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsCate BlanchettAlec BaldwinPeter SarsgaardA New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks like a million dollars but isn't bringing money, peace or love.I will watch this again at some point, but first time through I was very disappointed. I saw it on disc, after people had raved about it. Some of the supporting cast were quite bad, and I found Cate Blanchett's performance quite noticeable as a "performance".
5.6 - DirectorWoody AllenSenkichi TaniguchiStarsWoody AllenThe Lovin' SpoonfulFrank BuxtonWoody Allen re-dubs the Japanese spy film Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (1965), turning it into a comedy about an agent pursuing the world's greatest egg salad recipe.Worth seeing for Woody's short appearance early on in this re-dubbed Japanese film. It's a super funny bit of Allen humor.
5.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenTéa LeoniBob DorianA director is forced to work with his ex-wife, who left him for the boss of the studio bankrolling his new film. But the night before the first day of shooting, he develops a case of psychosomatic blindness.It's really a terribly uneven picture (the lows are pretty lame), but somehow it's none the less, strangely watchable. It does have it's moments.
5.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsColin FirthEmma StoneMarcia Gay HardenA romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.Gets better near the end. Worth a watch with low expectations. Didn't care for the cinematography.
5.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenJason BiggsChristina RicciJerry Falk learns a lesson the hard way when he falls in love with the beautiful but flighty Amanda."Just okay" is my memory of what I thought of this film when I saw it in the cinema. Ricci is quite good though.
5.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenMira SorvinoPamela BlairWhen he discovers his adopted son is a genius, a New York sportswriter seeks out the boy's birth mother: a ditzy porn star and prostitute.I am in the minority, but I don't like the main character's performance. She is just putting on an obviously fake voice. I don't believe for a second she is actually the hooker/porn star character. She won an Oscar for it.
That's one example of why the Oscars mean next to nothing to me.
4.8 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsJesse EisenbergKristen StewartSteve CarellIn the 1930s, a Bronx native moves to Hollywood and falls in love with a young woman who is seeing a married man.When a 90 minute film feels much longer, that's not a good sign. This is stale stuff.
The good: Kristin Stewart, Storaro's cinematography.
The bad: Pretty much everything else.
4.6 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenGoldie HawnJulia RobertsA New York girl sets her father up with a beautiful woman in a troubled marriage while her stepsister gets engaged.From an early TV appearance in the 60's it has been clear that Woody can not sing. He should know not to try. Instead he just mixed his voice much too low in the sound mix. For me, Alan Alda is the only bit of quality in this film.
3.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsAnthony HopkinsNaomi WattsJosh BrolinSally's parents' marriage breaks up when her father undergoes a mid-life crisis and impulsively weds a prostitute. Meanwhile, Sally's own marriage also begins to disintegrate.Woody wastes a stellar stable of actors on a bad script. Josh Brolin is totally miscast.
3.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenPenélope CruzJesse EisenbergThe lives of some visitors and residents of Rome and the romances, adventures and predicaments they get into.Just not good at all. Check that, Ellen Page was good, that's about it.
3.5 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWallace ShawnDamian ChapaBobby SlaytonA married American couple goes to the San Sebastian Festival and gets caught up in the magic of the event, the beauty and charm of the city, and the fantasy of movies.A shadow of a shadow of Woody's prime films. the dialogue is stiff, Wally Shawn, who i like in general, is wrong for this part. I got through tis film, but jsut barely.
3.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsGreg StebnerWoody AllenJohn TormeyAn insurance investigator and an efficiency expert who hate each other are both hypnotized by a crooked hypnotist with a jade scorpion into stealing jewels.Except for Charlize Theron, it is dreadful. Woody tries for a 'His Girl Friday' type of banter between the two leads, and it goes over like a lead balloon.
3.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowWilliam HurtJoe MantegnaA spoiled Manhattan housewife re-evaluates her life after visiting a Chinatown healer.The first film that really did not work for me in Woody's oeuvre.
Approach with caution.
3.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsScarlett JohanssonHugh JackmanJim DunkAn American journalism student in London scoops a big story, and begins an affair with an aristocrat as the incident unfurls.I was getting so mad at Scarlett Johansson's performance, then I realized, no, she was so good in "Match Point", it's not her fault at all. Woody is asking for just what she is doing, and saying something like "cut, that was great". This is a horrible film.
2.5