Hannah and Her Sisters

Sometimes, I think about moving to New York City. Well, I don't think about moving there; I think about living there. Like, really living. Being in it. Having my family there. My friend(s). Wearing great vintage clothes. Shopping at hole-in-the-wall bookstores where gems are found. Auditioning for Broadway plays. Having holiday dinners with a piano in the corner and my drunk parents playing to the crowd. Basically, I want to live not only in NYC, but also inside the movie, Hannah and Her Sisters.

Hannah and Her Sisters is my favorite Woody Allen movie. The characters live in upscale Manhattan. They wear post-Annie Hall, pseudo-men's wear with heeled boots, and an unnecessary amount of layers. No one really has friends. Instead, they have their family. And, by family, I mean they have or are somehow connected to the sisters (Hannah, Holly, and Leigh). Hannah (Mia Farrow) is sort of the glue of the sisters because she's married with kids, has an impressive acting career, and she has money to hand out to help out her wavering sisters from time to time. Holly (Diane Weist) is the former coke-addict/actress/caterer/screenwriter. Leigh (Barbara Hershey) is the youngest sister, the pretty one that Hannah's husband is crushing on, the one who lives with a much older man, and who sporadically takes classes at Columbia.

It's fair to say that I'm drawn to the sisters because I have two sisters. Well, more specifically, I'm drawn to that relationship because it is an honest portrayal of the "sister" relationship. I know someone who only has brothers who is always saying something like, "oh, how I wish I had a sister." It's hard for me to totally understand her romantic notion of sisters. I mean, it's not always easy having sisters--especially if they're like Hannah's or mine--because they are always sort of in each other's business. You didn't choose them to be in your life, but they are there. And, they know you like no other because you are all born to the same crazy parents, and you've all been exposed to each other's insecurities and strengths, and, well, it can be a lot. Woody Allen is so good at writing because he never romanticizes these women and their reactions to each other. He's pretty honest. And, I like that there are these men in the movie who sort of weave their way into the sisters' lives. They're not the center, but a privileged few who get to hang out with these women. I like that. I like it because that seems the only thing men CAN do sometimes when it comes to people like Hannah, Holly, and Leigh. But, understand--it's so important that you do--it's not about the men. It's not. It's about the women. And, the men are, well, like door prizes. Like, it's a nice surprise if you receive a good gift, but they're not the reason you go to the dance. You go for the women--to see their style, to engage with them, to hear them laugh and talk. That's why dances are fun. That's why these women are GOOD.

Oh, and it's all so funny. Like, Holly is so great when she's trying to sound all intellectual when she flirts with an architect. And, Woody Allen, of course, puts himself into the mix. He couldn't resist, and he shouldn't. It's sort of a side story from the primary one of Hannah's, but when Woody thinks he has a brain tumor...it's the funniest sequence of scenes. It's like life, I guess, but better. Better because they are rich and they live in hip New York and they have these beautiful dinners and crazy parents and crowded, used bookstores and they make tea on rainy, cold evenings. Oh, I just want to be IN their world. Maybe, the appeal is that, if you've got a sister or two, you kind of are in Hannah and Her Sisters. Well, a poor woman's version.