Woody Allen turns 90 today: these are the movie director’s must-watch films
A whirlwind tour through the movies that critics consistently rank among his most distinctive, inventive and influential works.
As Woody Allen reaches 90, there is renewed attention to the incredible filmography behind his long and, it’s fair to say, complicated career. Where do I start?
Lucky for me, websites including IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and the American Film Institute routinely highlight a familiar set of titles at the top of their “best of” lists, and together they form a neat guide to the movies that defined him. So let me guide you through them.
Annie Hall and Manhattan dominate rankings
Two films invariably anchor the conversation. Annie Hall still sits at or near the top of IMDb’s user-generated rankings and remains the reference point for Allen’s blend of romance, neurotic humor and New York energy. Manhattan, another perennial top choice for online lists and critics’ polls, is more about visual elegance, with Gordon Willis’s black-and-white cinematography giving it a timeless sheen.
Critics at outlets like Vulture and Time Out consistently single out Zelig for its innovative faux-documentary style, which remains one of his most technically inventive achievements. Hannah and Her Sisters, is another that earns constant praise for interwoven stories and memorable turns from Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest.
Woody Allen offers so much variety
The Purple Rose of Cairo often appears near the top of rankings for its metafictional charm, while Crimes and Misdemeanors is the go-to recommendation from critics who favor his darker, philosophical streak. For viewers exploring the early years, sites like IndieWire and Slant point to Take the Money and Run, Love and Death, Sleeper and Bananas as the most enduring of the slapstick period.
Match Point, regularly listed among his sharpest modern dramas, draws admirers for its chilly morality tale. Don’t worry, I’ll not serve up any spoilers! Midnight in Paris is the late-career consensus pick, and its light, time-slipping fantasy continues to rank highly across audience lists... with Owen Wilson’s charm hard not to like.
Where should your Woody Allen journey begin?
For newcomers, a rounded starter pack often includes Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Midnight in Paris. It’s a sample that reflects how critics and audiences converge: the undisputed classics, the stylistic experiments and the surprise late-career crowd-pleaser. If you enjoy those, you have so much more to explore.
Now go grab the popcorn!
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