Annie Hall A later "Guardian" critic, Peter Bradshaw, named it the best comedy film of all time, commenting that "this wonderfully funny, unbearably sad film is a miracle of comic writing and inspired film-making". John Marriott of the "Radio Times" believed that "Annie Hall" was the film where Allen "found his own singular voice, a voice that echoes across events with a mixture of exuberance and introspection", referring to the "comic delight" derived from the "spirited playing of Diane Keaton as the kooky innocent from the Midwest, and Woody himself as the fumbling New York neurotic". "Empire" magazine rated the movie five
Annie Hall in the scene where Alvy Singer has written a two-character play nakedly based on himself and Annie Hall. Simon's review of "Annie Hall" made a general assessment that didn't pan out: "It is a film so shapeless, sprawling, repetitious, and aimless as to seem to beg for oblivion. At this, it is successful." After more than a quarter century, the film has continued to receive positive reviews. In his 2002 lookback, Roger Ebert noted with surprise that the film had "an instant familiarity" despite its age, and "Slant" writer Jaime N. Christley found the one-liners "still gut-busting after 35 years".