That’s right, it’s “Casablanca”!

“Casablanca” is one of those great enduring classics, a movie that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s a refugee story told by refugees, a melodramatic romance set during the hell of war, and it’s made an imprint on our cultural subconscious that’s impossible to deny. Sure, without any context at all it’s a bit too theatrical, but when audiences understand that the film was released the same month in 1942 that Nazis invaded the real Casablanca, it takes on a special new level of meaning. So, it really should be no surprise that “Casablanca” has a near-perfect 99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes with 136 reviews. In fact, since there’s only one negative review in the whole batch, and it’s from a rather contrarian critic who calls himself a “pedant, poet, and sot,” so it really should be at 100%.

Despite its World War II-era setting, “Casablanca” is a timeless story about a man who runs into the woman he used to love, forcing them to question how fate drove them apart and whether or not they’ll be together again. Bogart and Bergman have incredible onscreen chemistry, and “Casablanca” was the film that launched Bogart into superstardom. So, if you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and watch “Casablanca.” It’ll be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with one fantastic film.