Tombe les filles et tais-toi!

My first and foremost thought about this movie is that you MUST see "Casablanca" (1942) first, for two reasons:

First, "Play it Again, Sam" contains not only archival footage from the 1942 classic, but numerous dialogic and other references which would be lost on someone who hasn't seen "Casablanca."

Second, and more important, is that the surprise ending of "Casablanca" is revealed in the *very first scene* of "Play it again, Sam."

Beyond that, "Play it again, Sam" is probably second only to "Annie Hall" among the Woody Allen / Diane Keaton films. Woody fans will enjoy the neurotic, psychosexual ramblings of the central character, which are typical of his movies, as well as the numerous elements of physical comedy, which are not as common in Woody Allen films. And watch for the scene in the art gallery -- it's a classic!

I much prefer Woody Allen's early films for the simple reason that they make. Seriously, before he seriously became serious, this guy wrote great jokes, a gift I sometimes think he took for granted before he started imitating Bergman and strove for integrity. This one's a hoot, even if it is adapted from his own play and was directed by Herbert Ross and not himself.

The idea that Woody's gormless Alan character escapes his emotional crises by consulting his screen hero Bogart is brilliant and is expanded still further when he also dreams up his absent ex-wife to contradict Bogey's positive stroking. The plot naturally evokes the triangle at the centre of "Casablanca" with the move cleverly ending up by recreating the same sacrifice also at a misty airport with Woody quoting Bogey's immortal words in exelcis.

Along the way, Allen crams in loads of largely self-deprecating jokes and comedic situations, like his "1-2-3-4" chat-up line on the dance-floor, his description of his roughing up by two hoods chasing his girl and his imaginings of love-rival Tony Roberts' various reactions to the news of the affair between him Allen and his wife, Diane Keaton.

The playing is delightful, Roberts, whose character would have been rendered redundant if mobile phones had been around and Keaton at her kooky best (and you should see some of her outfits too!) provide great background support to Woody's monologue. Herbert Ross' direction I found swung from between conventional romantic-comedy to quirky flights of fancy sometimes too incongruously at times but nonetheless he keeps things light and fast- moving. And a special word too for Alan Lacy in the thankless task of recreating Bogart, a job he handles with relish and the necessary attention to detail.

While some of the attitudes displayed to women are somewhat Neanderthal, plus there is one distastefully unfunny exchange between Allen and Keaton on the "hilarious" subject of rape, this funny Woody Allen has many other memorable one-liners and plenty of laugh- out-loud funny scenes. How I wish he still made them like that!

Directed by Herbert Ross, "Play It Again, Sam" (1972) is Woody Allen's film from the beginning to the final credits. Allen wrote the screenplay based on his Broadway play and he starred as Allan, a neurotic movie buff who writes the film reviews (what else?). Allan not just loves movies; he lives in the movies' world and constantly takes advices on how to get the girls from the legendary hero of his all time favorite movie "Casablanca", Humphrey Bogart's Rick. I am not a fan of "Casablanca" at all but if my favorite Artist is so much in love with it, maybe I should give it another try.

When Allan's wife Nancy leaves him, his best friend Dick (Tony Roberts) and his lovely wife Linda (Diane Keaton) try to fix him up with several eligible pretty young ladies. Very typically for Woody's characters, he is a total failure with them. The only woman he feels comfortable with, he shares the same insecurities and neuroses, the one whose Birthday he remembers and who he desperately wants is Linda, his best friend's wife. "Play It Again, Sam" is a remarkable movie for several reasons and one of them - it was the beginning of a wonderful working (and not only) relationship between Allen and Keaton that would result in the movies "Bananas" (1971), "Sleeper" (1973), "Love and Death" (1975), "Annie Hall" (1977), "Interiors" (1978), "Manhattan" (1979), "Radio Days" (1987), and "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993) and will bring them both well deserved fame and Oscars. Made 34 years ago, "Play It Again, Sam" holds up very well and I would call it my favorite earlier Woody's film and the best Woody's film that he has not directed.

8/10

I'm a big fan of Woody Allen. While his films often have something wrong with them, you can always count on a good time and a laugh while you're watching - and that's certainly what you get here! Woody Allen films are always best when Woody himself stars in them; his neurotic persona is a great base for laughs, and he certainly delivers in this film! For some reason, Woody Allen chose not to direct this film himself and Herbert Ross has got that job. Due to the cast, and Woody's script, however, this is very much another Woody Allen flick, no matter who is in the director's chair. This film also features the first screen pairing of Allen and Diane Keaton, who would, of course, go on to make Allen's masterpiece 'Annie Hall', along with Tony Roberts, who also co-stars here. The plot of the movie plays out like a tribute to Casablanca, and it sees recently dumped Allen falling in love with his best friend's wife, all the while under the watchful eye of the great Humphrey Bogart, whom he sees in his daydreams.

The humour in this film is awesome and also amazingly funny. Scenes that see Woody Allen blunder his way through dates are hilarious, and Allen's dialogue is at its dry and witty peak. The scene in which he tells of a fight he had with two 'hairdressers' being an excellent example of his writing. Allen tends to play the same sort of character in all of his films, and the one here shows him doing that again. This would be a problem, if he weren't so amazingly good at it. As the man festers in his own pathos; we can really believe it, and this gives the film a great sense of believability and also offers up a prime example of Allen acting at his best. The film isn't a complete one-man show, however, as the underrated Tony Roberts, along with Diane Keaton also give grand performances. The movie tributes in the film are many, with most pointing to the great Casablanca - and this is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. On the whole, this is an intelligent, entertaining and hilarious movie from one of cinema's best comedians. Highly recommended!

What could be cooler than having a screen legend hanging out with you, offering you dating tips? This classic 1972 comedy written by and starring Woody Allen gives him two, one the specter of Humphrey Bogart, the other a young Diane Keaton just working her way into film.

Woody plays Allan Felix, a film critic who has just been dumped by his wife and sets off to fill the hole in his heart. "I'll get broads in here like you wouldn't believe," he tells himself. "Swingers, freaks, nymphomaniacs, dental hygienists." But when even the nymphomaniac complains about his getting fresh, he realizes it won't be so easy. Enter Bogart, appearing in a series of fantasy sequences, and Keaton, very much a part of his real life as one-half of the married couple that jumps in to help Allan out. Alone amongst women, she can see Allan as a worthwhile guy, especially with their shared love for apple juice and Darvon.

"Play It Again, Sam" is a bit of an anomaly for an Allen comedy. It's set in San Francisco, not New York, and is directed by Herbert Ross rather than Allen himself. But it's very funny, kind of poignant, and a clever way of examining the foibles of hooking up, circa the 1970s. A number of comic vignettes examine the various ways seeking out the opposite sex can go wrong, on the dance floor, in a Chinese restaurant, in a bar. My favorite has to be the museum hottie with the pneumatic voice: Only an Allen movie would have its best punchline be about committing suicide.

The central point of the film, as brought out by another apparition only Allan sees, his ex-wife, is that the world is broken up into watchers and doers, and Allan the film critic is too much the former. Bogie gives him much the same advice, but Bogie and the ex-wife don't exactly get along in Allan's daydreams, leading to awkward moments. "Don't listen to him!" "Don't listen to her!" "Fellas, we're in a supermarket."

Besides, as Allan notes, it's one thing for Bogie to get slapped, another thing for him: "Your glasses don't go flying across the room."

Other than "Annie Hall" and "Sleeper," this is the best of the early Woody Allen comedies, another way of saying the best of Woody Allen. Ross's unpretentious style keeps the focus on the humor and the performances, and even makes Allen seem a gifted physical comedian, which he isn't. Keaton is a terrific foil for Allen, both platonically and as it turns out, otherwise, while Tony Roberts as her husband (this being his first of many Allen films, too) makes for a wry straight man with his constant phone calls and his appearances in some fun fantasy send-ups, the best of them in Italian.

You really like the characters in this one. Empathy can be a powerful weapon in comedy, something Woody apparently forgot as he moved into his Bergman phase. The ending is neat without being satisfying, the dream sequences aren't used to their full potential, and some of the rape jokes sound really bad all these years later. But you laugh a lot watching this film, a nice vehicle for Woody's observational humor and for seeing the game of love played in its most ineptly enjoyable form.