Woody Allen made his debut as a writer in the 1965 screwball comedy film ‘What's New Pussycat?’ directed by Clive Donner. The film received a mixed response from critics. In 1966, he made his directorial debut with the American comedy film ‘What's Up, Tiger Lily?’ The film received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Allen went on to write and direct films such as ‘Don't Drink the Water’ (1969), ‘Take the Money and Run’ (1969), ‘Bananas’ (1971), ‘Play It Again, Sam’ (1972), ‘Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*(*But Were Afraid to Ask)’ (1972), ‘Sleeper’ (1973), and ‘Love and Death’ (1975). In 1977, he wrote and directed the American satirical romantic comedy-drama film ‘Annie Hall.’ The film received wide critical acclaim upon release and won 4 ‘Academy Awards,’ including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for Allen. It was also a commercial success and grossed over $38.3 million on a budget of $4 million. He next received ‘Academy Award’ nominations for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for writing and directing the 1978 American drama film ‘Interiors.’ The film was lauded by critics and holds an 80% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. He continued to write and direct films like ‘Manhattan’ (1979), ‘Stardust Memories’ (1980), ‘A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy’ (1982), ‘Zelig’ (1983), ‘Broadway Danny Rose’ (1984), ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’ (1985), ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ (1986), ‘Radio Days’ (1987), ‘September’ (1987), and ‘Another Woman’ (1988).
The year 1989 saw the release of the American existential comedy-drama film ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’ written and directed by Allen. The film opened to universal acclaim and grossed over $18.3 million at the box office. Allen also received ‘Academy Award’ nominations for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for the film. He next wrote and directed films such as ‘Alice’ (1990), ‘Shadows and Fog’ (1991), ‘Husbands and Wives’ (1992), ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ (1993), ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ (1994), ‘Mighty Aphrodite’ (1995), ‘Everyone Says I Love You’ (1996), ‘Deconstructing Harry’ (1997), ‘Celebrity’ (1998), ‘Sweet and Lowdown’ (1999), ‘Small Time Crooks’ (2000), ‘The Curse of the Jade Scorpion’ (2001), ‘Hollywood Ending’ (2002), ‘Anything Else’ (2003), and ‘Melinda and Melinda’ (2004). In 2005, he wrote and directed the psychological thriller film ‘Match Point.’ The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and performed well at the box office, grossing over $85.3 million on a budget of $15 million. Allen also bagged an ‘Academy Award’ nomination (Best Original Screenplay) for the film. He went on to write and direct films like ‘Scoop’ (2006), ‘Cassandra's Dream’ (2007), ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ (2008), ‘Whatever Works’ (2009), ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ (2010), ‘Midnight in Paris’ (2011), ‘To Rome with Love’ (2012), ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2013), ‘Magic in the Moonlight’ (2014), ‘Irrational Man’ (2015), ‘Café Society’ (2016), ‘Wonder Wheel’ (2017), and ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ (2019). He last directed the 2020 comedy film ‘Rifkin's Festival’ which was also written by him. The film has a 53% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.