---
title: "Hannah and Her Sisters"
year: 1986
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters"
fi1m_id: "hannah-and-her-sisters"
imdb_id: "tt0091167"
tmdb_id: 5143
wikidata_id: "Q845057"
fi1m_score: 88
critics_score: 90
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:47.102308+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Directed by Woody Allen · 1h 47m · MPA PG-13 · Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Hannah and Her Sisters

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** hannah-and-her-sisters
- **IMDb ID:** tt0091167
- **TMDB ID:** 5143
- **Wikidata ID:** Q845057
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091167/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/5143, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q845057

**Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 90 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Thanksgiving would be simpler if everyone brought a dish and left their romantic ambitions at home

> Woody Allen’s family comedy is funny, tender and well worth an evening. Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest make its romantic troubles matter, though a few lines sound too carefully rehearsed.

## Synopsis

Hannah (Mia Farrow), Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest) are three sisters whose relationships keep drawing them back into one another’s lives. Between Thanksgivings, questions of love and loyalty spread through their circle. Michael Caine plays Elliot, one of the men caught in these romantic complications, while Woody Allen plays Mickey Sachs, whose worries about his health offer another source of trouble. Written and directed by Allen, the comedy-drama follows the sisters, their partners and the people around them as private desires put pressure on family ties.

## Review

*Hannah and Her Sisters* is a warm, funny family comedy, and we recommend it with a small reservation about how neatly its people can explain themselves. Woody Allen, who writes and directs, follows three sisters and their circle through an episodic story framed by Thanksgiving. He is interested in how a private romantic problem becomes everybody else’s business. Staying with several people gives us time to understand why their feelings seem reasonable to them.

The sisters have to be worth watching separately, and the casting gets that right. Mia Farrow’s Hannah gives the family scenes a steadiness that asks us to look past the more demonstrative performances. Barbara Hershey’s Lee is absorbing in her uncertainty, and Hershey resists overplaying it. Dianne Wiest’s Holly is especially affecting: the humour never quite conceals the hurt, and she can make a comic line sound like something it cost a person to say.

Michael Caine makes the strongest impression as Elliot. Caine gives romantic longing an earnestness that is faintly embarrassing to watch, because he lets us see how much the feelings matter to the person having them. We were moved by his seriousness. An actor could make this material safe by inviting us to laugh at a fool in love; Caine makes Elliot’s discomfort harder to dismiss.

Carlo Di Palma’s photography gives the family scenes a warmth that makes spending time with these people appealing, even when their company is difficult. Stuart Wurtzel’s production design adds a sense of domestic familiarity that suits the sisters’ emotional dependence on one another. Susan E. Morse’s editing keeps the separate episodes connected, with the white-on-black title cards making the divisions easy to follow. Cole Porter’s songs supply a relaxed pleasure that usefully offsets the effort everyone puts into managing their feelings.

The main reservation concerns Allen’s writing, including the part he gives himself as Mickey Sachs. Mickey’s hypochondria is funny, but its comic possibilities are easier to anticipate than the sisters’ responses to one another. There are also moments when a line sounds too carefully polished for the conversation containing it. We start noticing the writer making everybody interesting, which distracts from the actors’ work in making them believable.

As a romantic comedy, it is unusually attentive to what lovers owe the people around them. The sisters’ dependence on one another means that a relationship never concerns only the couple in it. That gives the jokes consequences without requiring the film to become solemn whenever somebody is hurt. The affection feels persuasive because these people can irritate one another and still want to remain close, something comedies too often reduce to a row followed by an apology.

At 107 minutes, the film gives its ensemble room without making the evening feel crowded. We would happily have spent longer with Wiest, though giving Holly more of it might have upset the balance. Choose it when you can enjoy a family gathering without needing everybody there to behave well.

*Fi1m score 88, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus is strongly positive: most critics praise Hannah and Her Sisters for combining sharp comedy with an unusually warm, emotionally complex account of family life. Praise clusters around the literate screenplay, the episodic construction and an ensemble that makes the sisters’ romantic entanglements feel substantial rather than merely busy. Michael Caine receives particular attention for the sincerity of his performance, while Empire singles out Dianne Wiest among the supporting cast.

The spread is narrow, with differences concerning the film’s place in Allen’s work more than any substantial failure of storytelling or performance. Several reviews place it at or near the top of his work; The Guardian is more restrained, finding it excellent but below Annie Hall and Manhattan. Even that reservation comes with renewed appreciation of Caine, so the disagreement remains about the degree of enthusiasm rather than the reasons to recommend it.

## Straight answers

**Is Hannah and Her Sisters worth watching?**

*Hannah and Her Sisters* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a family comedy in which romantic trouble becomes everybody's business, and we scored it 88. Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest make the longing and the hurt land, though a few lines sound too neatly written. Choose it when you can enjoy a family gathering without needing everyone to behave well.

**How long is Hannah and Her Sisters, and what is it rated?**

*Hannah and Her Sisters* runs 1h 47m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Hannah and Her Sisters in the US?**

*Hannah and Her Sisters* is streaming on Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Hannah and Her Sisters compare to Another Year?**

*Hannah and Her Sisters* is the warmer and funnier of the two, while [*Another Year*](https://film.one/film/another-year) is the more patient and the more painful. Both build an ensemble around family routines and awkward visitors, but Woody Allen's people explain themselves neatly where Mike Leigh's cannot. Choose Allen for comic pleasure, Leigh if you can bear Lesley Manville's Mary.

**What should I watch after Hannah and Her Sisters?**

After *Hannah and Her Sisters*, try [*Another Year*](https://film.one/film/another-year) (2010, Fi1m 87): Family routines and awkward visitors give a patient ensemble plenty to work with. Then [*Late Spring*](https://film.one/film/late-spring) (1949, Fi1m 92): Family duty and private longing, observed with patience and without easy villains; and [*Monsoon Wedding*](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding) (2001, Fi1m 80): A family celebration makes room for romantic disorder and difficult conversations.

### Reviews we read (12)

- **Radio Times**, Andrew Collins (5/5): The review calls it a return to top form with a warm, multi-stranded family saga. It singles out the strong performances by the sisters and Michael Caine's surprising turn as the standout element. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-9ivhf7/hannah-and-her-sisters/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic calls it Woody Allen’s best movie ever, structured like an episodic novel with vignettes that capture the tumult of characters’ lives. He singles out the emotional depth in relationships among the sisters, their partners, and the outsider figure of Mickey. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hannah-and-her-sisters-1986)
- **Empire**, David Parkinson (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of Woody Allen's best films ever, a highly intelligent and witty comedy with a magical script and perfect portrayals of well-rounded characters. They highlight the mature work, witty literate screenplay that deserved its Oscar, and superb supporting performances especially from Dianne Wiest. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hannah-sisters-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (90/100, inferred): The critic declares it the best Woody Allen yet and quite simply a great film, mellow, beautiful, rich, and brimming with love. She singles out its greater emotional complexity, understanding of others’ foibles, and the healing pull of family. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-07-ca-5472-story.html)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (90/100, inferred): The review praises the film as nonstop exhilaration and a dramatic comedy that sets new standards, warmhearted, wise, and fiercely funny. It highlights the intense family drama about three emotionally dependent sisters and their entanglements. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/07/movies/film-from-woody-allen-hannah-and-her-sisters.html)
- **The Independent** (85/100, inferred): The critic describes it as one of Woody Allen's finest films from his mid-1980s prime, an archetypal romantic comedy-drama about neurotic New York liberals with white-on-black title cards, Cole Porter tunes, and Woody as a hypochondriac Marx Brothers fan. They note the screenplay won a Bafta and an Oscar. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/zelig-76-mins-pg-hannah-and-her-sisters-103-mins-15-6283214.html)
- **Variety** (85/100, inferred): The review calls it one of Woody Allen’s great films with nary a misstep in charting the amorous affiliations of three sisters and their men. It praises the successful mixture of outright comedy, rueful meditation, and sexual complications over a two-year period. [Read](https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/hannah-and-her-sisters-1200426915/)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The critic praises the film's sharp one-liners and tender exploration of family life and relationships. It is highlighted as one of Woody Allen's warmest pictures, balancing wit with a joie de vivre. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hannah-and-her-sisters)
- **Evening Standard** (********): The critic calls it one of Allen's best ensemble dramas, even if he thought he was aping Chekhov at the time. It is presented in repertory with Zelig as a strong double bill of his 1980s work. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/zelig-hannah-and-her-sisters-and-despair-7428160.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The re-released film remains an excellent, watchable comedy-drama of complicated New York relationships, though not quite matching Allen's best like Annie Hall or Manhattan. Caine's fervent, dedicated performance stands out as particularly strong and sincere with age. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/22/hannah-and-her-sisters-film-review)
- **The Times**, David Robinson: Allen stands alone as one of cinema's great individualists, with this film developing his line of romantic social comedy; it is an essay on the pains and permutations of romantic love centred on the turbulent family life of three sisters and their circle. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/hannah-and-her-sisters-15-odeon-leicester-square-mcmtg93mvcp)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film one of Woody Allen's foremost accomplishments in drama and highly recommends it for fans of intelligent adult stories. She praises its elegant construction, top-notch ensemble cast and sumptuous photography. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hannah-and-her-sisters-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

## Details

- **Director:** Woody Allen
- **Director:** Woody Allen
- **Writer:** Woody Allen
- **Cinematography:** Carlo Di Palma
- **Editor:** Susan E. Morse
- **Production design:** Stuart Wurtzel
- **Costume design:** Jeffrey Kurland
- **Producer:** Robert Greenhut
- **Cast:** Mia Farrow as Hannah; Barbara Hershey as Lee; Dianne Wiest as Holly; Woody Allen as Mickey Sachs; Michael Caine as Elliot; Lloyd Nolan as Evan; Maureen O'Sullivan as Norma; Carrie Fisher as April Knox
- **Runtime:** 1h 47m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 14 March 1986
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1986); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1986); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Winner, 1986)
- **Budget:** $6 million
- **Box office:** $40 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Pluto TV: free
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1987: Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (won); Best Supporting Actress (won); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won)

## If you liked this

- *Another Year* (2010), Fi1m 87: Family routines and awkward visitors give a patient ensemble plenty to work with. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/another-year.md)
- *Late Spring* (1949), Fi1m 92: Family duty and private longing, observed with patience and without easy villains. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/late-spring.md)
- *The Savages* (2007): Two siblings discover how little shared history prepares them for looking after someone.
- *Monsoon Wedding* (2001), Fi1m 80: A family celebration makes room for romantic disorder and difficult conversations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/monsoon-wedding.md)
- *A Summer's Tale* (1996): Romantic indecision becomes funny, painful and increasingly difficult for anyone to defend.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters