Faint Hope—A Theological Interpretation of Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors

Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors is arguably his most theological film. Interpretations of the picture generally agree that Allen intended to subvert the notion that moral behaviour is necessitated by a God who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. Some have argued that in addition to calling this notion into question, Allen positively asserts that there is no reason at all to behave morally. While each of these readings of the film has merit, my thesis in this paper is that the theological message is more complex than a simple refutation of divine justice and/or embrace of nihilism, and that Allen ultimately does offer a cautious and tentative proposal in favour of behaving morally.