Play it again, Sam
April 30th 2007 23:28
It's a great movie, with that genuine Allen neuroticism and a sharp, witty script. Allen plays a variation of himself, a short Jewish guy after his divorce, trying to get back into the dating game. Diane Keaton plays his friend, a married woman that sets Allen up with disastrous first dates.
Allen's character is a Humphrey Bogart-obsessed film writer that has a fertile imagination... Bogart himself appears as an apparition to give Allen advice, most of it terrible and out of place:
Allan: I can't do it. How does it look? I invite her over and then come on like a sex degenerate. What am I, a rapist?
Bogart: You're getting carried away. You think too much. Just do it.
Allan: We're platonic friends. I can't spoil that by coming on. She'll slap my face.
Bogart: Oh, I've had my face slapped plenty of times.
Allan: Yeah, but your glasses don't go flying across the room.
Bogart: You're getting carried away. You think too much. Just do it.
Allan: We're platonic friends. I can't spoil that by coming on. She'll slap my face.
Bogart: Oh, I've had my face slapped plenty of times.
Allan: Yeah, but your glasses don't go flying across the room.
Play it again, Sam is chock-full of comedy and fortified with slapstick, which makes it such an enjoyable film to watch. Allen's script is one of his tightest, with the story progressing in time, and coming around like a tribute to Casablanca (down to the soft focus and lighting!), so that the end of the film is stirring and satisfying.
Allen's dates are hilarious, though, as his surging libido pushes him to approach women in strange places:
It's much loved by admirers of Allen's 'earlier, funnier' movies , one of the first to showcase his problems with women. These days, audiences are tired of his old schtick, which is why the director has wisely decided to step away from the limelight, instead letting the camera drift down Scarlett Johansson's alabaster thighs.
I found Play it again, Sam to be surprisingly entertaining, and an interesting look at San Francisco in the 70s, before cell phones and the tech bubble crash. While not as moving as Manhattan or his other great works, it reeks of Allen and his familiar brand of comedy. The scenes with Keaton and Allen together are nearly shocking to watch, with the obvious attraction and charisma between them infusing the script with a realism that is nearly unparalleled.
I say: A wonderful movie to rent and watch on a tired Monday night, when you've decided not to go to the gym and just hang around in your big, wooly boots.
See it for: I mentioned it before, in my review of Sleeper... Diane Keaton was an unusual looking lady, but animated with passion, she becomes quite attractive - even sexy. In those wanton 70s, the girls didn't seem to wear brassieres in San Fran, and, well, it was a very exciting look.
* this image is from this movie poster page
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