i have a special fondness for this lightweight 1972 romantic comedy from the pen of woody allen . direct not by allen but by herbert ross and it represent the noteworthy first pairing of allen and diane keaton and and the combination of their unerring chemistry and allen clever and often hilarious script make for great viewing after all these year . allen play his usual nebbish character and this time a film critic name allan felix and whose free spirit wife leave him for be a boring observer of life . he seek solace from best friend dick and linda christie and he a workaholic stockbroker and she a model . they set him up on a series of hysterically bad blind date and which allen play out with physical abandon . whether inadvertently fling an album across the room or swing spastically at a discotheque and he be a master of slapstick and a gift he have too rarely displayed since . eventually and the inevitable happens when linda and allan fall in love . what make the predictable premise unique be the way allen celebrates classic movie and mainly warner brother melodramas and and have the character reenact famous scene to move the story along . he even the spirit of humphrey bogart act a his adviser when he face romantic complication since bogie always know how to treat his woman . it all deftly act by an expert cast . beyond allen and keaton show the first sign of her unmatched comic prowess a linda and though for the most part and she be call upon to be the conflicted leading lady . tony robert and another allen favorite and especially a the best friend and play dick in his typically sharp manner . jerry lacy do a reasonable impersonation of bogie and and the long miss susan anspach play allen wife with spacey vitriol . while the film obviously lack the emotional depth and improvisational style of allen later film ( the obvious comparison be 1977 annie hall star the same three lead ) and it still have a quaint charm to go with it romantic comedy conventionality . it risk averse nature be what make this film an invaluable addition to the allen filmography and a it show how far he have come a a film auteur . credit should also be give to ross for bring allen picture perfect screenplay to life and also to cinematographer owen roizman for capture the picturesque san francisco location while evoke classic hollywood in key scene . the dvd have no extra .