Play It Again, Sam 1972
Allan Felix (Woody Allen) has recently separated from his wife Nancy (Susan Anspach) who wants to live a more exciting lifestyle, Felix is a film reviewer and spends all his time watching movies and when he's not doing that he is day dreaming about Humphrey Bogart (played by Jerry Lacy), who gives him advice on dating women and how to treat them . Meanwhile his closest friends Dick Christie (Tony Roberts) and Linda (Diane Keaton) keep setting Felix up on blind dates. But Felix's clumsy attempts at trying to impersonate Bogey only leads to failure on the dating front.Like most of Allen's early work he really relies on slapstick humour and great one liners, there's very little of the inner naval gazing you get with some of his later films. What Allen is very good at is mocking himself and his sexual prowess with the ladies , he doesn't mind sending himself up or looking the fool to get the joke across. He makes a fool of himself endlessly trying to chase women, there's a great scene where he's dancing with Keaton who encourages him to dance with woman he see's across the floor ,only to be rebutted with "Get lost, creep.". Many of these scenes although slightly exaggerated, most of us can identify with Felix's clumsy attempt at the dating game , especially if you have ever had a disastrous date , but I'm guessing not many have been beaten up by a couple of bikers, and then had the girl go off with them. "I snapped my chin onto a guy's fist and hit one in the knee with my nose. " Using Bogey and the plot of Casablanca is a really great way of seeing into Felix's mind ,he wants to be the hero but just can't pull it off. and the ending too is very clever as it uses Casablanca to tie up all the loose ends in a nice satisfying way.This is up there with Love and Death, Sleeper and Broadway Danny Rose just marvellous and funny. Also very envious of all the film posters and lobby cards in Felix's apartment.
out of 5