Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

tomgillespie2002 Back in 1972, before he became known as the prolific writer and director of many classic and iconic movies - and the poster-boy for Jewish neurosis - Woody Allen was still finding his feet in the world of comedy and in cinema. Based on his own 1969 Broadway play, the film adaptation was not helmed by Allen himself but by Funny Girl and Footloose director Herbert Ross. This now seems unusual for Allen, who has always been keen to bring any of his original works to the big screen himself, but Ross' somewhat unfussy approach to film-making compliments the little man's shtick, and simply lets him get on with his motor-mouth monologues and comic pratfalls without the distraction of any cinematic trickery.Play It Again, Sam is centred around Allan Felix (Allen), a recently-divorced film critic who crumbles into self-loathing and pessimism when his wife Nancy (Susan Anspach) suddenly walks out on him. His friends Dick (Tony Roberts), a workaholic businessman, and his lovely wife Linda (Diane Keaton) talk him into dating again, setting up encounters with a string of women that Allan routinely makes a mess of. His favourite film of all time is Casablanca (he watches it on the big screen in the opening scene with his mouth agape during that famous climax), and is occasionally visited by the ghost of Humphrey Bogart (uncannily played by Jerry Lacy). Allan hates himself as he knows he will never be like Rick Blaine, Bogart's most iconic character, but the spirit of Bogie urges him to be a man and show the dames who's in charge. As more dates turn into embarrassment for both parties, Allan finds himself becoming closer and closer to Linda.Free from the wonderfully silly satire of Bananas and less ambitious in its mockery than, say, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Play It Again, Sam hints at the ingenuity to come. It doesn't reach the heights of Annie Hall or Manhattan, but there is plenty of clever work here, with Allen's seemingly improvised little stand-up routines hitting the mark just as much as his physical buffoonery. It's also the first time Allen and Keaton were on screen together, and the chemistry is just as apparent in their on-screen romance as it surely was behind the scenes. Keaton appears to love working with him, and in one scene she is doubled-up with laughter at Allen's babbling. It doesn't have much to offer the romantic comedy genre in terms of originality, nor does it succeed in reinvigorating it in the way his later works would, but Play It Again, Sam is consistently hilarious, sweet and charming, and reminds us why we loved the little New Yorker before those horrific recent allegations surfaced.

Kirpianuscus 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.

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.

ElMaruecan82 This is Nancy, Allan's ex-wife speaking, and such a fascinatingly intriguing line that it totally distracted me from the break-up, the belittling comments on Allan's sexual merits, and all the pathos plunging Allan in the seminal state that forged the legend of Allen's characters, hence the merely disguised similitude between the two names. Anyway, I kept repeating in my mind "one of life's great watchers".These words powerfully echo the opening scene when Allan is watching the legendary ending of "Casablanca". His mouth agape makes you wonder whether he's mesmerized by the film or envious of the manly confidence Bogie exudes, towering a weepy Bergman. When the lights of the theater are turned on and Allan gets back to the bitter reality, his apartment gives the answer. It's a film-geek's paradise, full of Bogart's movie posters; all about Bogart, the screen star and macho icon, everything Allan/Allen is not.And this is the core of Allan's existential torments, he loves movies because they vehicle the very emotions, and feelings he wants to awaken in women. The constant hallucination of a Bogie with his legendary trench coat walking along Allan (great impression by Jerry Lacy) shows how predominant the Bogart-figure is in his life. The expression in Allan's face in the theater is of a young frail little boy who fantasizes about being the blonde stud getting the girl. The process works in reverse when he imagines Nancy (Susan Anspach) going in a motorcycle with a blonde and muscular biker, the 'Nazi-type' as he says.The core of Allan's insecurity is his total disillusion, he knows, a Bogie, he's not ... or maybe he can try by watching films, to grab some little bits of Bogie's aura, play it like Bogart (could have worked as another title) and see if it works. Naturally, the film is mostly funny when it doesn't.If not women, Allan has two friends, Dick (Tony Roberts), a fitting name for the workaholic real estate agent whose only running (sometimes irritating) gag consists on giving the phone number on each place he's in, and Linda (Diane Keaton), a gentle and sensitive soul, driven by a sort of maternal care toward Allan. Both try to connect Allan with their female acquaintances but the dates turn out to be totally disastrous. From an excessive use of Canoe perfume, a nervous grunt meaning 'Hello', his lamentable attempts to impress by showing a sports medal he bought 20$, or the unforgettable record thrown in the furniture, the date is probably one of the funniest scenes from any Allen's films.Indeed, Allen is never as hilarious as when he tries to impersonate what he's not, and the more he tries to 'play it like Bogie', the funnier it gets. The film is pure Woody Allen in his most delightful self-loathing humor. And there's more than that, if "Play it Again, Sam" provides some good moments to laugh at Woody Allen, it also vehicles the idea that he's never as 'attractive' as when he's natural, granted he tries to find the right girl. And the story leaves some sweet hints of a genuine chemistry between Allan and Linda, believable for the simple reason that with Linda, he's being himself, never tries to seduce her, and therefore reaches the level of quiet and tacit appeal to make jealous any wannabe Bogie.As a romance and a comedy, "Play it Again, Sam" is a real gem. All the bits are unequally hilarious and we kind of see the ending (and some other plot devices) coming but they're continuously punctuated with hilarious one-liners. "I reject before being rejected. It's a way to save time and money" is one of these quotes that would make you laugh harder if they didn't touch a real sensitive chord. It's all about the quest of our own equilibrium, on seduction without compromising ourselves, on hiding our weaknesses while remaining true to our souls. When Allan finally gets to play the role of his all-time idol Bogie, replaying the climax of "Casablanca", he precisely achieved his dream because he wasn't trying to be Bogie, the arc was closed."Play it Again, Sam" is adapted on a Woody Allen's play, and appropriately features all the Allenian trademarks: self-derision, ethnic references, a cute and tender romance that foreshadows the best coming between Allen and Keaton (in a way, "Play it Again, Sam" is like the ancestor of "Annie Hall"). And the more I watch Allen and Keaton's pairing, the more I realize that the couple has nothing to envy from Bogart and Bergman, Keaton has this incredible intellectual appeal that makes believable such a beautiful woman would be insecure. She doesn't overexpose her beauty, and instead exudes the feeling of a fragile flower waiting to bloom on a man's heart, the stuff that inspires Allan's own sensitivity.Herbert Ross, who directed the film, diluted his style into Allen's spirit, using the town of San Francisco as the only un-Allenian element of the film, providing its rich and unique atmosphere. And as usual, beyond the gags, there's the eternal dedication of Allen to Cinema. I mentioned in "Take the Money and Run" that Cinema was the ultimate geek escapism. By playing it like Bogie, Allan finally reconciles with his own self-esteem, the point is that he learned that Bogart isn't a character, it's a state of mind, a readiness for having the guts to follow heart and instinct and sometimes even appease them for the right reasons.When he impersonated Bogie, Allan was pathetic, when he embraced his state of mind, he was no more a loser. Maybe that's the greatest gift of Cinema, providing some models, not to impersonate, but to inspire ourselves. I also believe that Cinema is the stuff dreams are made off and as one of 'life's great watchers' I sometimes wish I could have the same hallucinatory relationship with Michael Corleone.