Movie · 1986 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 47m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 8.7/10 (170K ratings)
A story between two Thanksgivings.
Overview
Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.7/10
IMDb: 7.8/10
Letterboxd: 4.01/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 90
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Woody Allen
Production
Orion Pictures, Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions
Cast
Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Carrie Fisher, Julie Kavner, Max von Sydow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sam Waterston, Tony Roberts, J.T. Walsh, Daniel Stern, John Turturro, Christian Clemenson, Lewis Black, Richard Jenkins, Joanna Gleason
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, literate ensemble comedy-drama about family, desire, and the messy ways people keep loving one another despite themselves. It balances wit with genuine emotional ache, and its seasonal New York setting gives it a lived-in, comforting texture even as the relationships fray.
Best for
Viewers who like character-driven ensemble stories
Fans of bittersweet relationship comedies
People drawn to New York-set films with strong seasonal atmosphere
Anyone who enjoys neurotic, dialogue-heavy domestic drama
Skip if
You want a plot-driven movie with a clean central conflict
You dislike self-conscious, talky filmmaking
You’re looking for a purely light comedy
You prefer films without infidelity, emotional ambiguity, or family tension
Overview
Hannah and Her Sisters is one of the great adult ensemble films of the 1980s, a movie that treats romantic confusion and family loyalty as both comedy material and existential fact. Its pleasures come from the accumulation of small observations: the way people talk past one another, the way a dinner table can contain both affection and resentment, the way life keeps moving through Thanksgiving gatherings and private crises alike.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the balance. The film is funny, but not glib; tender, but not sentimental. Its New York setting feels seasonal and specific, and the interlocking stories give the movie a novelistic sweep without losing intimacy. The performances do a lot of the heavy lifting, especially in the quieter emotional turns, where the film becomes less about cleverness than about need, regret, and the hope of starting over.
Bottom line
It is also a very of-its-era film in its rhythms and worldview, which can feel both charming and slightly overbearing. But if you respond to movies that let conversation, performance, and emotional contradiction do the work, this is a rich, rewarding watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
mary (5★) · 1374 likes
I love women and i hate woody allen
Alexei Toliopoulos (4.5★) · 1091 likes
One of the bravest things I could ever do is log in Woody Allen films on letterboxd.
Benjamin (3.5★) · 964 likes
Woody Allen only makes movies so he can pretend women find him attractive
Mike D'Angelo (4★) · 579 likes
76/100
Here's what's weird: I can now see in this old favorite the seeds of everything I dislike about his recent films. Much of the dialogue is clunkily expository and/or tin-eared; supporting characters (e.g. Daniel Stern's gauche rock star) often function as straw-man caricatures; source music is used as a cudgel. Yet it's mostly glorious, and I spent the whole damn movie trying in vain to pinpoint the difference. In the end, I think Tarantino may be right, at least… more
Sam (4★) · 506 likes
I love New York. I love living in New York, I love the style of the city, the distinct feel of each season, the buildings, the streets, the parks, the food, the vibes, just everything. But one thing I love just as much as New York is amazing character development in movies, and Hannah and Her Sisters has that and New York.
1983 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 12m · PG · Curator 7.4/10 (123.2K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
For its blend of warmth, grief, and family-centered emotional candor.
Topics
ensemble drama, bittersweet comedy, New York City, Thanksgiving, relationship drama, family saga, 1980s cinema, literary dialogue, urban melancholy, adult romance