Metrics
Genre:
Romance, Hollywood, Drama
Rating:
7.6/10
Audience:
Adults, people who like war-era movies. People who like romance dramas. People who like James Bond films (trust me).
Rewatch Time:
Once in a year, maybe. 1h40.
Winner:
Louis Renault (Claude Rains)
Review
“Of all the jin joints in all the world… ”, this movie is easily the most quotable. In a way, it shows such an advanced, mature version of “love” not seen in most romance movies. It’s black and white, but it doesn’t seem too old, and it still captures the “war” atmosphere that it no doubt was made in (1942 things). Rick (Humphrey Bogart) was a charismatic protagonist, and had great chemistry with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman, who’s fairy-like). There’s great performances by Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and Sam (Dooley Wilson), with my personal favorite coming from Louis. I wouldn’t have dreamed of giving a win to a Nazi before, but this guy is hilarious (and, like, barely a nazi anyway). Rick’s cafe is iconic, and this movie has straight up made Casablanca (the city) known. The plot is actually interesting too, and if you don’t know the ending already, it’s definitely something to look forward to. Good production value, too.
Spoiler Territory
So the best things about this movie were all spoilers, even if its premise was pretty good too. “Here’s looking at you, kid” is obviously the first thing—absolute legends moves. Probably one of the most recognizable catchphrases of a character in movies (if people watch older movies, I guess). And then, of course, the ending line “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” I was so happy. Louis is the best. I laughed when he was like “round up the usual suspects” after Rick literally shot his boss in front of him. Take the win. Then the piano song was super iconic. Also Rick gets maturity points in the end for finding the right solution to the situation (also that one scene where he helped that one kid get money, perfect). And shoutout to Victor for being understanding about Ilsa when she thought he was dead. Everyone in this one is a homie, even if Rick tries to be a tsundere.