A movie that could pick up the pace

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2004)

`Casablanca' is a very well known movie by people of all ages. A lot of whom enjoy the movie quite a bit and some who maybe don't enjoy it as much. This reviewer liked the movie for the most part. It has an interesting plot, but one that mainly people of an older age would understand. It has romance (and that's always a good thing) and it may even teach it's viewers a little something about history that they might not already know. One of the only problems with the movie is that it's slow moving. It's a lot of talk and no action. Movies don't have to be all about blowing things up and killing people to be good, but `Casablanca' involved maybe a little bit too much talking, at least at one time. At one point in the movie one of the main characters was talking for so long that this reviewer found herself starting to drift off. Movies should grab the audience's attention and keep it. `Casablanca' is a good movie, just one that could maybe be improved a little by picking up its pace.
All of the acting was very good. Most of it was rather believable and didn't come across as too cheesy. At the times when an actor/actress was supposed to be making a really long speech, they did so very well with a lot of the right emotion needed to convey what they were saying. Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, is supposed to be a bad boy who deep down inside has a heart. Bogart did a very good job of portraying this. Throughout the film Rick just seems to be cool and self-confident. It's like he's what every boy wants to be, especially since the ladies like him. All of the acting done in `Casablanca' only helped to make the movie what it is today, a timeless classic.
A big portion of the film is set in Rick's American Café, which is just about the only American thing in Casablanca. Because of this almost all of the music is a piano playing in the background or someone singing. There is music that has been added in, but a lot of it is music coming straight from something in the movie. The whole idea of doing that gives the viewer more of a feel like they're there with the people on screen and not just watching them. It should be used in more movies these days.
`Casablanca' came out in the 40's and, of course, the special effects back then weren't as good as they are now. There was one scene in particular where the movie was really lacking in this area. Ilsa, played by Ingrid Berdmen, and Rick (Bogart) are driving in a car together only they're not really driving. There is a fake background behind them and it seems like they're just jumping up and down in their seats and smiling. This whole thing is in other old movies too. It just shows how far Hollywood has come with their special effects.
`Casablanca' is a good movie that could be improved a little. There are a lot of movies out there that this reviewer would love to own and `Casablanca' just isn't one of them. Yes, it is a classic and a great movie, but it's just not the type of movie that this reviewer enjoys.