Play it Again, Sam
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Movie Reviews of Play it Again, Sam
Movie Review: Very Entertaining
Summary: 5 Stars
This has got to be one of my top faves. I can watch it over and over again if i could. Just to see how Allan's character starts out and how it all ends up.Movie Review: One of Woody's best!
Summary: 5 Stars
You've got to love Woody Allen in this flick. Everything is great especially with Humphrey Bogart guiding Woody in every-day problems. Great movie!Movie Review: Funniest movie ever
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like comedy, I mean genius works of comedic brilliance, watch this movie. Buy it, rent it, or whatever. You won't be dissapointed.Movie Review: The Best Woody movie ever
Summary: 5 Stars
If you could only watch one Woody Allen It Again Sam is the one.Movie Review: First Allen-Keaton Pairing Retains Its Laughs and Shows Signs of Great Things to Come
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a special fondness for this lightweight 1972 romantic comedy from the pen of Woody Allen. Directed surprisingly not by Allen but by the more studio-friendly Herbert Ross, it represents the noteworthy first pairing of Allen and Diane Keaton, and the combination of their unerring chemistry and Allen's clever, often hilarious script makes for great viewing after all these years. Allen plays his usual nebbish character, this time a film critic named Allan Felix, whose free-spirit wife leaves him for being a boring observer of life. He seeks solace from best friends Dick and Linda Christie, he a workaholic stockbroker and she a model. They set him up on a series of hysterically bad blind dates, which Allen plays out with physical abandon. Whether inadvertently flinging an album across the room or swinging spastically at a discotheque, he is a master of slapstick, a gift he has too rarely displayed since. Eventually, the inevitable happens when Linda and Allan fall in love.
What makes the predictable premise unique is the way Allen celebrates classic movies, mainly Warner Brothers melodramas, and has the characters reenact famous scenes to move the story along. He even has the spirit of Humphrey Bogart act as his advisor when he faces romantic complications since Bogie always knew how to treat his women or so we all seem to recall. It's all deftly acted by an expert cast. Beyond Allen, Keaton shows the first signs of her unmatched comic prowess as Linda, though for the most part, she is called upon merely to be the conflicted leading lady (with fake eyelashes, no less). Tony Roberts, another Allen favorite, especially as the best friend, plays Dick in his typically sharp manner. Jerry Lacy does a reasonably good impersonation of Bogie, and the long missing Susan Anspach plays Allen's wife with spacey vitriol.
While the film obviously lacks the emotional depth and improvisational style of Allen's later films (the obvious comparison being 1977's "Annie Hall" starring the same three leads), it still has a quaint charm to go with its romantic comedy conventionality. Its risk-averse nature is what makes this film an invaluable addition to Allen's filmography, as it shows how far he has come as a film auteur. Credit should also be given to Ross for bringing Allen's picture-perfect screenplay to life and also to cinematographer Owen Roizman for capturing the picturesque San Francisco locations while evoking classic Hollywood in key scenes. Unfortunately the DVD has no extras.