Don't you hate when you watch a movie that has such a big reputation, won so much acclaim, is beloved by everyone, always pops up on lists of best films of all time and you realize that it's all just much ado about nothing? I watched Casablanca for the first time last night and let me tell you directly, it is a good movie but it's far from being as grand, important, lifechanging and whatnot as it is made up to be.
What we're dealing with here is basically just a love story, albeit an interesting one. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick who owns a night club in World War II Casablanca and he's a tough guy, as cynical a badass as there has ever been one. But when he is confronted with his long lost love Ilsa we realize he's a nice guy inside, he's just been hardened by the heartbreak she caused him.
If you really don't have any idea what Casablanca is about then I'm not gonna spoil the rest for you. This movie has been referenced, spoofed and honored so many times that any cinephile should recognize most of the shots. We get classic lines such as "Here's looking at you, kid" and "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" while Bogart plays his signature role to a tee and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa just shines throughout the film. My favorite character nonetheless is Claude Rains as Captain Renault, a corrupt official who you can't really figure out until the very end.
So one might ask, what is there not to like about this film and frankly, there's not much not to adore but one thing that just kept bugging me and in the end ruined the film for me and brought it down to "just" a good level. As great as Bogart is in his role, I didn't feel much chemistry between him and Ingrid Bergman. She is this beautiful and fragile woman and he is just tough, I felt it just didn't click between them. I bet lots of people would disagree with me on that but hey, this is my blog and my opinion!
Maybe it's better to see films like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Godfather and any other classic without bias, just take them for what they are and appreciate what you actually get. Then you might avoid the slight disappointment I experienced with Casablanca.
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