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Show Review Woody Allen scores a hit By RAY BOREN Chronicle Staff "Play It Again, Sam" is a classic in the tradition of "Love Story," "Casablanca," "Gone with the Wind" and the "Bride of P'rankenstein." Woody Allen wrote the screenplay from his play by the name, and stars in "Play It Again, Sam." Allen has the time-honored time-honored part of the hero who has girl, loses girl, loses another girl, another girl, another girl, gets girl, loses girl. He has a wife at the first, but a divorce ends that affair a divorce on the grounds of "insufficient "in-sufficient laughter." The ravaging ex- wants to move; Woody doesn't know how and is broken-hearted at his loss. Two friends, a married couple, his best friends, are out to save this love-starved, love-starved, all-American Jewish neurotic by lining him up with a host of heavenly angels. Then he fulls in love with his best friend's wife. "Play It Again, Sam" has everything. Nostalgia: Look-alike Look-alike Lacy plays Allen's sexual adviser Humphrey Bogart. Pathos: the heart-rending second loss of love just about caused a flood in the theatre. Laughter: if your side doesn't hurt when the lights come up, boy did you miss the boat. The script seems to run like a staccato page from Dragnet only it doesn't make you sick, just overwhelmed by continuous laughter. |