Play It Again, Sam (1972)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Nice effects though.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

far to be a fan of Woody Allen filmography, I admire the science of cultural embroidery of this unique director. Play It Again, Sam is a good example. because it is more a lesson of cinema than a story. because the cultural references are more present than the neurotic intellectual, helpless in front of reality. old fashion gags, slices of Charlot, dialogues preserving the mix of humor and ambiguity, the imaginary friend, the solution to the search of true love, the end who impress for the details who reminds each part of the final part of Casablanca, not only as image but , in same measure, in its spirit.a homage to the film art. this is the axis of this movie. its great virtue - the beautiful chemistry between Allen and Diane Keaten. a film who preserves the flavor of entire work of Allen . the themes, the fears, the reactions, the solutions. and who does the reality more acceptable. that is all.

The Three Acts:The initial tableaux: At the very front of the film is an extended clip from the tail end of Casablanca (1942). If you are aiming to see Play It Again, Sam I would suggest seeing Casablanca first, if you have not already. That parting scene is close to the heart of neurotic movie critic Allan, who lives in San Francisco.The film soon jumps to the reality of Allan's wife leaving him. Allan's involvement with Casablanca spills over into his life as the waking hallucination of Bogart giving him advice for his many problems. No one else sees Bogart, of course.Delineation of conflicts: Allan's arguments with his ex wife are largely over, but she comes back to bite him now and then. Allan tries to re-enter the dating scene with the help of close friend Dick Christie and wife Linda Christie. These attempts run counter to Allan's lack of confidence, urge to impress by fakery, and need to make clever comments over making progress. Bogart's suggestions make sense for Bogart, but not so much for Allan.As the dating failures mount, Allan and Linda have a growing sense of attraction. Linda is married to Dick, and Dick is Allan's best friend, so how can this work?Resolution: The film comes full circle.

Review: This movie was quite funny in parts, even though Allen is doing some of his silly one liners again, but it not that bad. It's another one of those Woody films that are based around a troubled relationship and you can tell that Allen wrote it because of its warped wit. Diane Keaton tries hard to find Allen a girlfriend after his wife leaves him, but they end up falling for each other even though she is his best friends wife. All the way through the film, Allen is clumsy and not that great in the dating department, but with help from his imaginary friend, who happens to be Humphrey Bogart, he manages to pluck up the courage to chat to women. Personally, the storyline wasn't that great and Allen is babbling through most of the film, but if you don't take it seriously, it's just light hearted fun, in a Woody Allen type of way. Watchable!Round-Up: Once again, Woody Allen teams up with Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts for this slapstick comedy. There performances don't really change from one Woody Allen movie to another so they weren't that surprising. This is yet another movie which proves that Allen's earlier work were much better that his latter projects, although some of the scenes weren't that amusing. This is definitely the more Charlie Chaplin side to Allen which you'll either love or just think it's silly. I recommend this movie to people who are into there Woody Allen movies about a keen cinema who falls for his best friends wife. 4/10

Like Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese Woody Allen is another director who loves the moves. He loves talking about them and he always has references to a wide range of movies in his movies.Casablanca has often been called one of the greatest scripts to be written and filmed. And it has the fairytale quality that so many films of that time did have. So what better a subject for the Allen in transition between Sleeper and Annie Hall to tackle then retell Casablanca in his own style.In this movie the Woody Allen character is brought out to the full level of his neurosis. He is constantly nervous and fidgety and Allen gives a great performance. There are some really genuine laugh out loud moments.The movie explores many of the themes that would later be explored in Annie Hall and be furthered in Husbands and Wives. It is as all of Allen's films are about relationships. A man who doesn't know what to after his divorce. A couple who are very comfortable with each other and they feel no need for the so called intimate moments in life.Allan tries to become like Bogart. Bogart is actually a character in the film and he constantly tries to advise Allan and the exchanges between them are pure gold. One thing I didn't like was that the guy who played Bogart didn't do a good job and that made it lose the charm. Plus they showed his face and he didn't look like Bogart. Hoever, that might have been intentional to show the character's neurosis.There are constant references to Casablanca and the plot in essence is a retelling of Casablanca and retains much of the plot elements but in distinctly Allen style. He doesn't direct the movie for some reason. Herbert Ross directs and I think Allen would have done a better job. What I have noticed about Allen's films is that he shows love stories without the love scenes and kissing that are not really central to the plot. Herbert Ross feels it necessary and there are a couple of kissing scenes in the movie that seem out of place.Play it Again, Sam stands out as a comedy in its own right. Though it may seem a parody it is not one at all. It brings out Allen's love for Casablanca and showcases his talents as an actor. We see the chemistry that Allen and Keaton share here which would later also be used in Annie Hall. It could have wrong in so many ways but Allen in the 70's could do no wrong. This is another great addition to his filmography.