Sunday 18 December 2005

Play It Again, Sam (1972) - ickleReview (video)

The Woody Allen movie that begins and ends with the final scene of Casablanca. Try not to choke on your Cornflakes when you read this plot summary. Allan Felix (Woody) splits with his wife (she leaves him). Dick and Linda (Diane Keaton) try to set him up with a number of girls. Linda and Allan develop a little something extra marital. But then you see why Casablanca comes in at the end.

Woody is in slapstick mode, acting like a nervous spastic whenever he's near a woman. He is visited every now and again by Humphrey Bogart (impressively - if obscurely - impersonated by Jerry Lacy), who tries to tell him all about dames.

A solid effort, but not one of Woody's best-looking films, nor his knockabout funniest (try Manhattan and Mighty Aphrodite), but you'll do yourself no harm if you tick this one off your list as well.

Nugget: yes, the title is a famous misquotation: Bogey never says that. He says, "You know what I want to hear. [...] You played it for her, you can play it for me! [...] If she can stand it, I can! Play it!"

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