While the Marx Brothers' 1946 "comeback" film, A Night in Casablanca, is definitely not among their best, it's still worth seeking out. This is especially true for rabid "Marx-ists," who can either uncritically revel in the boys doing their thing once again or critically parse the differences and similarities between Casablanca and such first rate fare as Duck Soup. But even those who enjoy the Brotehrs but wouldn't consider themselves aficionados should find enough in Casablanca to keep them entertained. True, it does get to be heavy going in a few places. There's too much plot in Casablanca, for one thing, which keeps insisting that it make progress, even if periodically means keeping Grouch, Chico and Harpo from having the fun that these three were born to have. The romantic subplot is the usual annoying hooey, and there's no Margaret Dumont, which is a crime. But Groucho can still sling one-liners that thrill with their deadly precision, and Harpo (working with an uncredited Frank Tashlin comes up with some inspired visual gags. The room-to-room seduction scene with Groucho is a winner, and Chico's verbal inanities are as sterling as ever. While it's a shame Casablanca isn't as amazingly loony as the best of the Brothers's films, it helps to fill the time while one is waiting for A Night at the Opera to be rerun.
