Overrated, formulaic romance

Rating: 1/10 (9 September 2001)

Why is this film considered so brilliant? How can it be a classic? It is just another shallow, formulaic, cliche-laden Hollywood love-story, typical of pre-war Hollywood. For me this film is almost undistinguishable from that other 'great' romance of the time, the nauseating 'Gone With the Wind'. At least Casablanca doesn't go on for several hours.
The usual plot of old lovers reunited after many years, once again in some Hollywood interpretation of a gratuitous exotic location. Bogart looks depressed, Bergman looks pretty. And that's about all there is to it. No depth of thought or character. Flat, commercial acting from the leads, even flatter and more commercial direction and script. If you like old movies from the 40s, why not watch Citizen Kane? There's considerably more thought and originality there.
And I've never understood why people think the lines "Here's looking at you kid" or "Play it again, Sam" are *so* quotably witty.