I have a special fondness for this lightweight 1972 romantic comedy from the pen of Woody Allen. Directed not by Allen but by Herbert Ross, it represents the noteworthy first pairing of Allen and Diane Keaton, and the combination of their unerring chemistry and Allen's clever, often hilarious script makes for great viewing after all these years. Allen plays his usual nebbish character, this time a film critic named Allan Felix, whose free-spirit wife leaves him for being a boring observer of life. He seeks solace from best friends Dick and Linda Christie, he a workaholic stockbroker and she a model. They set him up on a series of hysterically bad blind dates, which Allen plays out with physical abandon. Whether inadvertently flinging an album across the room or swinging spastically at a discotheque, he is a master of slapstick, a gift he has too rarely displayed since. Eventually, the inevitable happens when Linda and Allan fall in love.
What makes the predictable premise unique is the way Allen celebrates classic movies, mainly Warner Brothers melodramas, and has the characters reenact famous scenes to move the story along. He even the spirit of Humphrey Bogart act as his adviser when he faces romantic complications since Bogie always knew how to treat his women. It's all deftly acted by an expert cast. Beyond Allen, Keaton shows the first signs of her unmatched comic prowess as Linda, though for the most part, she is called upon to be the conflicted leading lady. Tony Roberts, another Allen favorite, especially as the best friend, plays Dick in his typically sharp manner. Jerry Lacy does a reasonable impersonation of Bogie, and the long missing Susan Anspach plays Allen's wife with spacey vitriol.
While the film obviously lacks the emotional depth and improvisational style of Allen's later films (the obvious comparison being 1977's "Annie Hall" starring the same three leads), it still has a quaint charm to go with its romantic comedy conventionality. Its risk-averse nature is what makes this film an invaluable addition to the Allen filmography, as it shows how far he has come as a film auteur. Credit should also be given to Ross for bringing Allen's picture-perfect screenplay to life and also to cinematographer Owen Roizman for capturing the picturesque San Francisco locations while evoking classic Hollywood in key scenes. The DVD has no extras.
What makes the predictable premise unique is the way Allen celebrates classic movies, mainly Warner Brothers melodramas, and has the characters reenact famous scenes to move the story along. He even the spirit of Humphrey Bogart act as his adviser when he faces romantic complications since Bogie always knew how to treat his women. It's all deftly acted by an expert cast. Beyond Allen, Keaton shows the first signs of her unmatched comic prowess as Linda, though for the most part, she is called upon to be the conflicted leading lady. Tony Roberts, another Allen favorite, especially as the best friend, plays Dick in his typically sharp manner. Jerry Lacy does a reasonable impersonation of Bogie, and the long missing Susan Anspach plays Allen's wife with spacey vitriol.
While the film obviously lacks the emotional depth and improvisational style of Allen's later films (the obvious comparison being 1977's "Annie Hall" starring the same three leads), it still has a quaint charm to go with its romantic comedy conventionality. Its risk-averse nature is what makes this film an invaluable addition to the Allen filmography, as it shows how far he has come as a film auteur. Credit should also be given to Ross for bringing Allen's picture-perfect screenplay to life and also to cinematographer Owen Roizman for capturing the picturesque San Francisco locations while evoking classic Hollywood in key scenes. The DVD has no extras.