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Rob, an actor, serves as the voice of sanity that balances the turmoil of Alvy’s angst. He is Alvy’s best friend and his venting ground. The mirror image of Alvy, Rob is refreshingly mellow and superficial, and his presence in the film provides a relief to Alvy’s constant paranoia and insecurity. Rob enjoys normal activities like playing tennis, basking in the sun, and dating women and indulges few quirks or psychodramas. Unlike Alvy, Rob seems to have a healthy, optimistic grasp on the world. But while he is amused by and accepting of his friend’s idiosyncrasies, he doesn’t necessarily understand them. When Alvy and Annie split up for the first time, Rob tries to help the situation by setting Alvy up with Pam, an extremely thin music journalist interested in mysticism who is entirely wrong for Alvy. When Rob moves to L.A., Alvy is appalled that Rob welcomes the glamour and superficiality of L.A., the city that is endlessly battered by Alvy’s snide cracks. Nonetheless, throughout the film, Rob is Alvy’s loyal sidekick and comes through for him anytime he is in a jam. The two enjoy a comfortable familiarity, calling each other “Max” in a running inside joke, but neither really understands the other. Nonetheless, they don’t really need to understand each other to enjoy each other’s company.
