To be cool. To be suave. To be Bogart. In Play It Again Sam, we witness one man's aspiration to be all of the above.
Wildly imaginative and uncannily original, this neurotic comedy is arguably the best of Woody Allen's career. Part homage to Casablanca, part romantic comedy, Play It Again Sam was originally written for the stage. It tells the story of Allan Felix (Allen), a down-and-out film critic, who is left by his wife and is desperately searching for new love. Enamored with film and fully aware of its rich history, Allan admires Humphrey Bogart, the epitome of 1940s cool and a man capable of wooing any dame he pleases. Bogart appears as a character throughout the film, egging Allan on in his exploits with women.
While Allan aspires to be Bogart, his character resembles a tragic hero more than anything else. In reality, Allan's admiration for Bogart dooms him as he is faced with two chief problems in his quest for love: insanely high standards and personal demons that prevent him from acting naturally in front of potential lovers.
The film's success is due largely to Allen's masterful screenplay and superb comical performance. Allen's genius lies not in his consistent one-liners or tremendous physical comedy, but also in his ability to make a seemingly mundane story palatable to a broad audience. Whereas Take the Money and Run, Bananas, and even Sleeper rely more heavily on farcical humor and absurd situations, Play It Again Sam deals with reality more intimately and Herbert Ross's near invisible direction executes Allen's script with great authenticity.
Thus, it would be wise to invest 85 minutes of your time and watch this true Woody Allen classic, for if you don't, then as Bogart famously exclaimed (and as Allan Felix triumphantly echoes), "You'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon and for the rest of your life"
