Diane Keaton was active, as an actress, for more than half a century, and proved remarkably versatile in that time. The earliest stage of her career was defined by her roles in various New Hollywood movies and a fair few comedies (some of them, yes, directed by Woody Allen), while in the 1990s and beyond, she was in various prominent rom-coms, even earning an Oscar nomination for one of them: 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give.
She passed away at the age of 79 in October 2025, and will likely remain singular and inimitable for as long as the world keeps turning. She had a unique screen presence, and was also well known for her distinctive style and fashion sense. The following is a rundown of some of her best films, not including voice roles or any of her directing work (she dabbled in the latter, even directing an episode for the second season of Twin Peaks).
10
‘The Godfather Part III’ (1990)
To get the obvious out of the way, no, The Godfather Part III is not as good as the other two movies, both of them among the finest gangster films of all time (to state the obvious… and yes, they’ll be talked about a bit more in a bit). But The Godfather Part III is still a good gangster movie, so long as you can navigate your way around the stuff that doesn’t work the same way you might eat around a mostly tasty dish that’s been overcooked or mildly burned in a few places.
It’s a movie about Michael Corleone getting old and having certain regrets about the things he did in the past, seeking a redemption that may be too difficult to attain at such a stage in his life. Al Pacino and Diane Keaton both deliver good performances, returning as Michael and Kay, respectively, while Francis Ford Coppola directs the whole thing pretty well, too (it’s better than some of his other movies released in either the 1980s or 1990s, that’s for sure).
9
‘Father of the Bride’ (1991)
Father of the Bride might’ve set something of a precedent for much of Diane Keaton’s later career, since she was in a good many rom-coms from this point onward, though not exclusively, as an Oscar-nominated turn in Marvin’s Room shows. But Father of the Bride is very much a romantic comedy, and also one about family, since much of the film revolves around the sometimes-difficult planning of a wedding.
It’s bubbly and a little silly, but Father of the Bride also has a good heart, and stands as an overall worthy remake of Father of the Bride (1950). For as long as weddings cause stress and more than a little chaos, both versions of Father of the Bride will surely remain… relevant? Maybe that’s not the right word. “Cathartic” is probably the better word, or “endearing.” Yeah, they’ll remain those things.
8
‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ (1993)
While it’s a mystery film and a comedy, Manhattan Murder Mystery is primarily focused on delivering laughs, and it does a pretty great job at just that. It’s also the better Woody Allen movie to star Diane Keaton and him that also has the word “Manhattan” in the title, since, well, Manhattan (1979) doesn’t hold up the best. But if you don’t count Radio Days, which just featured a cameo by Keaton, then Manhattan was the last film she did with Allen until Manhattan Murder Mystery, for whatever that’s worth.
This one’s fairly farcical, seeing the two aforementioned actors playing a couple who have suspicions about their neighbor possibly being responsible for the sudden death of his wife. They investigate the whole thing quite poorly, and it makes for a movie that rambles along but in a funny and sometimes charming way.
7
‘Reds’ (1981)
The first thing that stands out about Reds is how big it is, with its runtime being well over three hours, and its scope being similarly grand, since it tells the story of an American journalist being inspired by the Russian Revolution to spread socialist ideals back in the U.S. So, it’s got quite a few locations, and the narrative, while not quite spanning decades, does cover a handful of years.
The second thing that stands out about Reds is its cast, which might well be one of the most stacked of the 1980s. Beyond Diane Keaton, you’ve also got performances by the likes of Warren Beatty (who also directed), Jack Nicholson, Paul Sorvino, and (briefly) Gene Hackman. It feels like a bit of a last hurrah for New Hollywood and the sorts of ideals that defined many American movies from the late 1960s until the early 1980s, and the whole thing still holds up as a rather impressive epic film.
6
‘Play It Again, Sam’ (1972)
Written by Woody Allen, but directed by Herbert Ross, Play It Again, Sam is another comedy with Allen and Keaton in the lead roles that honestly holds up surprisingly well. It probably helps that it’s a movie that partly revolves around one of the most timeless in cinema history, Casablanca, with Allen’s character being someone who’s obsessed with the film and has Humphrey Bogart as, essentially, an imaginary friend.
Like Casablanca, it’s also something of a romance film, given it’s about Allen’s character trying to find someone to date after going through a divorce, but if it’s a rom-com, it’s one that puts the emphasis on the “com.” Play It Again, Sam works a lot better than that description might lead you to believe, and really, the biggest sin it commits is having a misquote as a title, seeing as in Casablanca, Ilsa says, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’”
5
‘Love and Death’ (1975)
You can compare Love and Death to the previously mentioned Allen + Keaton films, but also, it’s got the Russian setting that the aforementioned Reds had, albeit set about a century earlier (the 1810s instead of the 1910s). It’s also a bit of a weird one, by Woody Allen’s standards, given the historical setting, but that does also help it stand out.
Also helping Love and Death is the fact that it’s very funny, being one of the rare movies about Napoleon that’s not necessarily definable as a drama or war film. The sense of humor here is dark at times, with more death than love, but that’s in line with War and Peace (set around the same time) having a bit more by way of war than peace, so it fits.
4
‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar’ (1977)
While Looking for Mr. Goodbar is an exceptionally difficult film to watch, it is an absolutely essential one, and probably stands as the most underrated movie Diane Keaton ever starred in. Also, unlike some of the other movies being mentioned here, she’s undeniably the star of this one, playing a woman who goes to various single bars looking for what would nowadays be described as “casual” encounters or hookups, but finds herself involved with some exceptionally frightening individuals.
If you want to see Diane Keaton give what could (arguably) be her best performance, and are ready for something heavy, then Looking for Mr. Goodbar is essential viewing.
It’s a film that feels ahead of its time in the sense that it was intense back in the 1970s, and it still hits uncomfortably hard when watched today. It’s so harrowing that it is admittedly hard to recommend without a disclaimer or warning beforehand, but if you want to see Diane Keaton give what could (arguably) be her best performance, and are ready for something heavy, then Looking for Mr. Goodbar is worth checking out.
3
‘The Godfather’ (1972)
Some might raise their eyebrows a little at The Godfather not being #1 here, but Diane Keaton isn’t in this one a whole lot, so while it could arguably be the best movie she was ever in, it feels fairer to highlight a couple of others where her role was more prominent. She’s great here with that limited screen time, though, though her character, Kay, is more important in the sequel (and arguably in The Godfather Part III, too).
Otherwise, this is The Godfather. It’s about as good as epics get, and it’s also a gangster movie at the same time as it’s an epic, and seeing a crime movie on such a scale was pretty out there in 1972. Also, there’s a massive cast here, and everyone is phenomenal. It’s The Godfather. It’s pretty much perfect, and was also significant for providing very early (and star-making) roles for both Keaton and Al Pacino.
2
‘Annie Hall’ (1977)
Speaking of star-making roles, there are tons of people in Annie Hall who only show up for a scene or two, yet went on to become pretty popular and/or iconic not long after the film’s release. It wouldn’t be fair to call it a star-making role for Keaton, of course, but it was the movie that earned her her first Oscar nomination, and that first nomination also resulted in a win.
She plays the titular character here, and the movie’s kind of a romantic dramedy about her falling in and out of love with Woody Allen’s character. That’s all there really is to Annie Hall, but the quality of the writing and the acting ends up being enough to make it surprisingly engrossing, and an all-time great movie about the highs and lows of relationships, all in a very witty and mature sort of way.
1
‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974)
It’s a bit strange that Diane Keaton didn’t get an Oscar nomination for The Godfather Part II, but that just goes to show the Academy Awards aren’t everything. Hell, she should’ve been nominated for Looking for Mr. Goodbar, too, though that did come out the same year as Annie Hall, and she won for that instead… but if one of the two had come out in 1976 or 1978 instead, a back-to-back win might well have been deserved.
Anyway, The Godfather Part II is largely about Michael Corleone’s downfall, with him forever impacting the bonds he might once have had with anyone still alive after the events of the first movie. It’s even more of a tragedy than The Godfather, and both Pacino and Keaton have to go to some seriously intense places during the heaviest scenes here, and both deliver almost uncomfortably well. If you know, you know.
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