thinbeach
When Allen's wife divorces him, his best friends Dick and Linda, a married couple, attempt to set him up with a new woman. But Dick is busy with work and doesn't pay enough attention to his wife, who spends so much time with Allen they fall in love. Coming nearly two decades earlier, it is perhaps the most Seinfeld-esque film I have seen, and Woody's greatest gift here is the ability to poke fun at himself. He plays a neurotic, anxious, insecure film buff who hilariously makes a fool of himself in front of every new woman he meets, employing both slapstick and one liners. There is also a fantasy element as Humphrey Bogart of Casablanca, a prototype for the alpha male, appears in the background shots as the muse in Allen's imagination, giving him advice on how to approach each situation. Aside from the finale, purposefully mimicking the finale of Casablanca, there is virtually none of that films noir or romantic lighting effects, presenting 'Play It Again, Sam' as a piece of 'reality' to that films stylization. It is fairly light stuff, but a comedians job is to make you laugh, and it certainly does that. Very enjoyable and well crafted.
suite92
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.
moonspinner55
Woody Allen adapted his own hit play and stars in this modestly amusing comedy about a recently-divorced film historian in San Francisco, cartoonishly insecure around women, who is fixed up on dates by his best friends and advised on relationship matters by the spirit of Humphrey Bogart in his "Casablanca" period. Herbert Ross directed, with Librium-slow changes in tempo (the movie pokes along from low-keyed slapstick to dazed romantic comedy). In her first film with Allen, Diane Keaton hasn't yet found her niche on-screen; her whining matches Woody's, but her overall personality is so piqued she tends to evaporate in the middle of scenes. Allen has stuffed his screenplay with one-liners and repetitive jokes that tend to run together, some making an impact and all the rest bombing out. Susan Anspach adds a slight edge as Allen's ex-wife, but Tony Roberts is a hole in the screen as the buddy who may lose his wife to Woody, a complication only Bogie could help iron out. ** from ****
leonblackwood
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
AD
