Play It Again, Sam is a wonderful little piece of a Woody Allen movie, where we almost see- as my girlfriend described- as a sort of 'protoplasm' of Allen's style. While he didn't direct the picture, there usually are the marks of his qualities all over it, albeit in an oddly placed setting in San Francisco (not by choice of course). There's a fine balance struck between what one would see in countless other Allen films involving the neurotics in relationships, the mockery placed on the 'normal' people who just cannot connect with the Allen persona, and also with a side of the wacky comedy bits that one sees in Allen's writings at the time (lots of homage, parody, self-referential dialog, etc). We see a movie writer, Allen Felix (Allen, hmm to the name), who's wife just left him to go out and explore new freedoms. Meanwhile, Allen tries to bounce back by going on some dates, always with bad results, be it his own nervousness, not reading the right 'signs' (even from a nymph), or being surrounded by more brutish men than him, which isn't hard of course to see.<br /><br />But then there's Diane Keaton's Linda, who is already married to Tony Roberts's character, and they're all friends with Allen too. Things become complicated when Linda and Allen become more than just platonic, and one night things go to the next level. Will she leave her husband for him? Meanwhile, Allen has his sort of guardian angel/devil in one at his ear, Humphrey Bogart, pecking away at him to be more than what he is, as he's ultimately the most impressive man in Allen's life, particularly after seeing Casablanca. While some of the film is noticeably- and a little hurt by being- not really a total Woody Allen picture (one can tell just by the choices of the music, sometimes it comes in like twinkle-twinkle or something to a 70s degree, and some of the touches of cinematography ring of convention), the screenplay is one of Allen's sharpest in the period, with the wit always flying by, with some lines instant classics ("it's been two weeks and already my wife's left me for a Nazi" and "I love the rain - it washes memories off the sidewalk of life" among others). And the rapport between Allen and Keaton is already locked in completely, with it being almost a prototype for their best on-screen pairing in Annie Hall.<br /><br />Loaded with more than a few brilliant visual touches (like Roberts's Dick walking into the ocean solemnly in a 'what if' moment, or when Linda pulls the gun on Allen in another 'what if' moment at the airport), and a climax that keeps any fan of Casablanca, or at least anyone who knows how the scene goes- which should be almost anyone considering it's classic cinematic folklore at this point- with a smile cheek to cheek. Not always hilarious, and with a couple of cheesy, even dated duds, but it's worth the watch for anyone interested in getting into the star/writer's films.