1. Manhattan (1979)
2. Annie Hall (1977)
3. Bananas (1971)
4. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
5. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
6. Match Point (2005)
7. What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)
8. Zelig (1983)
9. Sleeper (1973)
10. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
11. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
12. Love and Death (1975)
13. Take the Money and Run (1969)
14. Stardust Memories (1980)
15. Small Time Crooks (2000)
16. Deconstructing Harry (1997)
17. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
18. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
19. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
20. Cassandra’s Dream (2007)
21. Husbands and Wives (1992)
22. Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
23. Interiors (1978)
24. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
25. Oedipus Wrecks from New York Stories (1989)
26. A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982)
27. Radio Days (1987)
28. Whatever Works (2009)
29. Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
30. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
31. Scoop (2006)
32. Alice (1990)
33. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
34. Another Woman (1988)
35. Melinda and Melinda (2004)
36. Shadows and Fog (1991)
37. Hollywood Ending (2002)
38. Celebrity (1998)
39. Anything Else (2003)
40. September (1987)
Comments (1-30) of 119 Add your comment
1. Zelig
2. Annie Hall
3. Radio Days
…the rest
I’m happy to see Manhattan at #1 (would probably be in my top 5 all time list as well). But I will forever be perplexed by the general love for Match Point. It limply rehashes the exact same themes of the superior Crimes and Misdemeanors and just adds in a dash of awkward sexuality for titillation.
Also nice to see an even spread of his ’90s work instead of clustering it at the bottom as tends to be done with his work…I think Small Time Crooks was very underrated.
Why the hate for Manhattan Murder Mystery, Owen? At least I presume it’s hate, given it’s in the bottom 25th percentile. It’s a great little lark.
I LOVE Manhattan Murder Mystery!
i’m not going to get into ALL my disagreements, just the REALLY BIG one: Husbands and Wives AND Broadway Danny Rose deserve A LOT more love! maybe you should watch them again!
Should be higher: Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Radio Days, Husbands and Wives, Crimes and Misdemeanors. Should be lower: Interiors, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex.
Sleeper should definitely replace Bananas.
Technically, “Whatever Works” is Woody’s 39th movie directed. “New York Stories”, was co-directed by Allen, Scorsese and Coppola. His 40th begins production this summer in London starring; Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Frida Pinto and Anthony Hopkins.
sorry – but Match Point is simply a second rate rehash of Crimes and Misdemeanors with a cool slow-mo moment. With the utterly awful performance by ScarJo in it, i’d drop it down a good ten to twenty slots – at least lower than C&M
Overall, I agree with most of your list, Owen. However, I would put “Annie Hall” and “Hannah & Her Sisters” in a tie for first place (or a close 1/2). I would also move “Crimes and Misdemeanors”, “Purple Rose of Cairo” and “Bullets Over Broadway” higher on the list, and push “What’s Up Tiger Lily?” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know …” further down. (Other than Gene Wilder with the sheep and a few other bits, I’m not a big fan of “Everything …”). I also must confess that, unlike a lot of folks, I have a warm spot in my heart for “Alice”, so I would move it closer to the middle of the pack.
Crimes and Misdemeanours FTW.
Crimes And Misdemeanors and Husbands And Wives must be in the top 5. I just watched Another Woman a few weeks ago and have some affection for Woody’s dramas. Wish they were higher. Watched Mighty Aphrodite last night. It’s charming but belongs exactly where it is. In the middle. Glad to see Stardust Memories start to finally get its due.
I wanted to argue the list, but aside from a few minor changes, I agree with you. I would put ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’ around 6 (if not top 5) and I liked ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ more than you. Those quibbles aside, I think you hit it right on!
Scoop is my favorite (I know, I’m young), then Manhattan Muder Mysteries, then Sleeper. After that it’s hard to list.
I’ve only scene about half of these so here’s a top ten:
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Love and Death
Crimes & Misdemeanors
Shadows and Fog
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Manhattan
Hannah and Her Sisters
Stardust Memories
Everyone Says I Love You
Melinda and Melinda
Hm, I recently saw “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and I see how “Match Point” can be considered a rehash, but even though I liked both, I enjoyed “Match Point” more. Maybe it’s because I’m young (or perhaps because Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a much more compelling adulterer than Woody Allen). Also, I would bump “Sleeper” up a couple of spots. Every time I see that movie I just die laughing.
There is no way Match Point is better than Melinda Melinda. I love that movie. Keep it on my DVR when I need something great to watch. No better character than Ellis Moonsong (which I named my dog). Heck VickyCristinaBarcalona is better than Match Point. I haven’t seen all his movies but I would put Husbands and Wives higher just for Woody’s reaction in the movie when his sister told him they guy she went out with crapped on her. Annie Hall/Mahanattan/Hannah and her Sisters would be the top three. Then Melinda Melinda.
I’m amazed at your placement of Radio Days in the lower-midsection! It’s a joyous, tightly packed love letter to a boygone era, perfectly cast and sweetly played. It’s among his classics for me, definitely a Top 10.
I’m happy to see Small Time Crooks place as well as it did, that was a solid laffer. I would place Bullets Over Broadway considerably higher, as well as Interiors. I would also bump up Shadows and Fog a little, I’ve always felt that was somewhat underrated.
A few minor quibbles, but generally very accurate. Manhattan is one of my all-time favorite films. I would move Radio Days up several notches.
I love Manhattan Murder Mystery and Husbands and Wives really does need to be higher also why is Vicky Christina Barcelona so low on the list.
Personal life stinks, but he is a director/genius.
I LOVED so many on the list….don’t miss “Matchpoint.”
Oops that wasn’t Husbans and Wives when his sister told him about her blind date, that was Crimes and Misdemeanors. Husbands and Wives part I like is when Sidney Pollack’s character young girlfriend flips out at that party, loves it. Also wanted to say SCOOP SUCKED BALLS! One of Woody’s worst. I think he made that film just because he had a mad crush on SarJo.
Melinda and Melinda definitely deserves a higher rating.
Broadway Danny Rose not in top 20? Blasphemy! That movie rocked!
Melinda and Melinda definitely deserves a higher ranking.
I can’t believe Broadway Danny Rose and Radio Days are so low. And 5-7 on your list are some of his worst films. The love that Match Point got makes no sense at all.
Melinda and Melinda definitely deserves a higher ranking.
you should rate the movies Woody has starred but NOT directed… such as the Bette Midler/Woody Allen movie “Scenes from a Mall”
The rankings are all wrong, but how could people ever agree on that. Here’s something we can all agree on: is that not the single worst photograph of Woody Allen imaginable?
Why the hell is What’s Up Tiger Lilly so high? As I remember that was a Japanese Film dubbed over with funny voices; enjoyable but hardly great film making. Drop Match Point, raise Crimes & Misdemeanors and no way Melinda/Melinda deserves to be so low. Come on!