Tonight's Movie: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

This week I revisited HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986) for the first time in decades. I'd only seen it once, as a videotape rental shortly after its release. Given the Thanksgiving scenes which bookend the film I thought this would be a good week to watch it.

The movie was written and directed by costar Woody Allen -- and yes, the storyline regarding Hannah (Mia Farrow) having her husband Elliot (Michael Caine) cheat on her with a relative seems awfully prescient. That said, I put "real life" aside in order to simply enjoy the film.

The movie opens on a Thanksgiving meal hosted by Hannah, the most "together" person in her family; she's recently had a theatrical triumph in A DOLL HOUSE after taking a break from acting to raise her family.

In addition to her financial advisor husband, Hannah's family also includes her sisters Holly (Dianne Wiest) and Lee (Barbara Hershey) and her actor parents Norma (Maureen O'Sullivan) and Evan (Lloyd Nolan).

Through a series of vignettes set at random points in time, we learn of Elliot's infatuation with Lee, who lives with cranky older artist Frederick (Max von Sydow), and we also follow the health travails of Hannah's first husband Mickey (Allen). Mickey goes on a disastrous date with his former sister-in-law Holly, and we also see flashback scenes of Mickey and Hannah dealing with infertility.

Everyone turns to Hannah for advice, money, holiday hostessing, and dealing with her mother's drinking, but what of Hannah's needs? Is her self-possession playing a role in driving her husband away? Or is he simply being an infantile jerk? (One guess on my opinion...)

While this film isn't a favorite, it's an absorbing 107 minutes and I was glad to see it again and refresh my faded memories. It has a nice autumnal tone, with scenes taking place at three separate Thanksgiving meals, and I found Hannah sympathetic amidst a conglomeration of immature characters. Holly's been addicted to cocaine and Lee's never quite grown up, while -- failed first marriage aside -- the warm and dignified Hannah is an island of stability.

A scene where Hannah realizes Holly knows intimate details about her marriage is painful as Hannah is almost-but-not-quite tipped off to the fact that Elliot has been sharing information inappropriately with one of her sisters. By that point I felt protective of Hannah, hoping that Elliot would realize his folly and his true feelings for Hannah and she'd end up none the wiser about his infidelity.

It can be exasperating at times watching self-destructive people, but we often see the same types of bad choices in film noir, and there can certainly be entertainment value in watching and trying to understand imperfect characters, along with a funny sense of relief ("At least it's them and not me!"). And despite all the problematic characters and choices, the film has a genuine sense of warmth, particularly in the opening and closing sequences.

There are numerous touches in the film I enjoy, including the beautiful standards on the soundtrack and the appearance of Bobby Short, performing in a nightclub; the use of Farrow's real-life apartment as the cozy setting, with some of her actual children playing her movie children; and the appearances of Nolan and Farrow's real-life mother O'Sullivan as the bickering yet attached parents.

Caine and Wiest won Supporting Actor and Actress Academy Awards as the film's most troubled characters; in the rearview mirror I don't find them particularly remarkable, but they're fine, as is the entire cast. In addition to those previously mentioned, there are also nice turns by actors such as Carrie Fisher, Joanna Gleason, Daniel Stern, and Sam Waterston.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. There is nothing graphic but I feel the behavior and language is only for adult viewers. I personally would treat the film as though it has more of an R rating.

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is available on Blu-ray and DVD. A trailer is here.

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