WHY ???

Rating: 6/10 (1 October 2002)

Why is everybody crazy about this film? I just find it a decent romance film (ah, it is very conventional and safe). I laughed out loud when I saw Casablanca listed #2 Greatest films of all time by the American Film Institute ( hey, how about Fight Club, American beauty, Mulholland Drive ? ). The story of Casablanca is simply straightforward, not witty or twisted ( oh, are all Hollywood films stupid so they call this one witty ??? ). The acting is fine, Ingrid Bergman is great but Humphrey Bogart looks damn boring like a sleepwalker ( or did he try to be cool? ). Ah, the only memorable quote to me in this film is "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world". The others are forgettable and they may be classic because people consider this one a classic. "Play it again, Sam" for instance, what the hell? The line " You jump I jump remember? " in the blockbuster Titanic is even much better. The message? Very clear: love, sacrifice, anti-war propaganda. That's all. Not deep or complex at all. The only thing I like about this film is the song "As time goes by". It is excellent.
Anyway, Casablanca is not too bad, quite enjoyable. I give it 6/10