I sit on the couch, snuggled next to my mom on a cool summer night. As per usual, neither of us can decide on a movie to watch. I am a chronic re-watcher of movies, while my mom refuses to watch anything more than once. We continue to scroll through the plethora of movies available to us through our countless streaming services. Eventually, we come across the movie Because I Said So. We decide to put it on, not that it takes much to convince me, any romantic comedy, and I’m sold. Throughout the movie, my mom and I exchanged several laughs, just as we would in any movie. After the movie finished, I remember telling my mom that I really loved the actress who portrayed the mother in the movie. My mom looked at me like I had two heads, “Do you mean Diane Keaton?” she said.
This exact memory came to mind on October 11, when I found out that Diane Keaton had passed away. This unfortunate event got me to thinking, and I realized that since the night I watched my first Diane Keaton film with my mom, I had viewed her as this icon, but I didn’t really know that much about her and her work. So, as a way to honor Keaton the best way I could, I decided to do some research and expose myself to more of her work.
I found countless articles and YouTube videos detailing the life of Diane Keaton, and they all seemed to say variations of the same thing. The obvious being that Diane Keaton was a huge influence in not only Hollywood, but the entire world. It became apparent that the only way that I would be able to get a real idea for who Diane Keaton really was was to go to the source itself. Of course, Keaton has been involved in countless iconic films. However, I decided to take a close look at what seems to be her most iconic role, Woody Allen’s Annie Hall.
After watching the film, it’s so obvious as to why it’s considered to be Keaton’s most famous piece of work. In my opinion, this film really encapsulates who she is as an artist. Her character, Annie, is a driven, somewhat quirky aspiring singer living in New York City. Her boyfriend, Alvy Singer, played by the director, Woody Allen, is a somewhat famous comedian. The film details the relationship between Alvy and Annie from the beginning to the eventual breakup. What I really loved about this film was its deviation from the traditional romantic comedy “formula.” I never thought that I would ever say something like that. As a self-proclaimed romcom expert, I always loved the fact that I always knew I would be promised a happy ending. However, this film never created the illusion that it would have an ending where the couple ends up together. It also goes without saying that Keaton’s performance really sold the movie to me. In my opinion, this film highlights the best aspects of Keaton’s abilities. There is something so honest and vulnerable about the way that she plays this role. It is clear that she felt incredibly connected to this character, but also that she put the effort into making this performance convincing.
While I wish that I had been able to connect more with Diane Keaton’s work before her passing, I am so glad that I took the time to really examine her contributions to the film world. Before writing this article, I thought that the best way to get information about any celebrity was through a 15-second Google search. However, after allowing myself the time to really immerse myself in an artist’s piece of work, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to get a real picture of who an artist really is, would be by giving yourself the time to engage in some form of their art.
Diane Keaton’s career was built on the things that made her stick out from other artists who came before her. I think that now I understand why my mom was so confused when I did not know who she was after we watched the movie that night. Keaton was one of a kind; she is the kind of actress who will stand out to any viewer, simply because of her vulnerability that can be felt through all of her work.
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