Customer Reviews

Bananas

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

From the outrageous name "Fielding Mellish" to the screwball humor in this MAD-magazine type antiwar satire, this is one for the Best of Woody pile. The film grabs you from the first gag, and never lets go. It is laugh-out-loud hillarious with whacky situational scenes as a simple NYC boy gets embroiled in a rebellion in a small South American country (the rebels did not have a good tailor though, but couldn't wait). I was surprised to see a very young pre-fame Sylvester Stallone in a minor side role as a subway crook. The denouement of the movie is somewhat of a let-down (it may be me) but that's no reason to miss out on this superb comedy.

I first saw BANANAS on the local Public Broadcasting channel in Seattle. It's honestly surprising to me that people don't talk more about this film. I happen to think that it's funny, enlightening and very intelligent. What's more, it has chilling parallels with the state of politically revolutionary and anti-American Latin American governments of today (and no, I am not "naming names"---that would only get me into hot water here, and that isn't the purpose of the review). Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) is a gawky product tester who falls in love with a politically active young woman, Nancy (Louise Lasser--Allen's first wife before the age of Diane Keaton, Mia Farrow or Soon-Yi Previn). Though very drawn to her, Mellish is not able to truly capture the young woman's heart. Why? Because he isn't as politically involved as she would like him to be. Well, all that changes when the awkward (not so young) man takes a life-altering trip to San Marcos, a small island nation falling under the thumb of pronounced political upheaval. Their leader, with strong leanings toward dictatorship and supression, has been assasinated and everything is in flux. It is during Mellish's trip that a very unlikely and (perhaps) profoundly unbelievable political shift occurs. I won't ruin it for you. You will have to see it for yourself. I will tell you that as many years as it has been since BANANAS' 1971 release, it still remains a very bold and wonderful showcase for Allen's irrerepresible physical comedy, as well as the quirky/neurotic brand of incidental insight that he is known best for today.

Good old-fashioned slapstick comedy, Bananas illustrates the dictatorship to revolution to new dictatorship cycle of third world - and worldwide - bureaucracies. The most hoot-aloud hilarious of Woody Allen's films.

This is not Woody Allen's best movie, but it is, by far, his greatest comedy. It even surpasses Sleeper with its wit and bite. Actually, in my humble opinion, it is the finest comedy of all time. As a spoof, it cannot be surpassed, from the Mary Tyler Moore M on his wall to Lasser saying that "women's rights don't automatically mean castration." It's the most giggle packed 80 minutes in cinemagraphic history.

Speaking of Louise Lasser, Allen is able to construct his own reality, as in real life, she becomes his wife. His satiric portrayal of television is original and fantastic. There is no better vehicle for the display of his humor than this film. It's practically a stand up routine. The one-liners are fantastic. I have never seen a film in which each frame brought more guffaws than this one. Howard Cosell has never been more enjoyable and endearing than when he covers the assassination of the San Marcos dictator or the finale with Allen. My favorite scene is the one with the interpreter translating English into English with a Spanish accent. I think I laughed about that for several days. The Lenny Bruce-esque trial of Mellish is the best sent up of a courtroom ever. Miss America testifies against him as the jury passes around a joint. She condemns him saying, "Differences of opinion should be tolerated but not when they're that different." Hey, this one even features a young Sly Stallone with National Review depicted as a pornographic magazine. It cannot possibly get any better.

One of the most remarkable and irreverent creations of Woody. In this time we find him as a hapless hero in the middle of a revolution in some corner of South America.
Thinking it over it would seem a hidden and sincere homage to Marx Brothers Duck Soup.
One of the supreme achievements of he first period of Allen, when his humor was fundamentally outward.

This is a great movie. Unlike most comedies I see today, EVERYTHING in this movie is meant for a laugh. No part is meant for anything else. There's no padding at all, and no touching message is trying to be sent. This movie is only made for laughs.

And the jokes keep coming, one right after another. It's astounding. By far, I think the funniest part of the film is where Melish gets a cheap beard as a disguise when he comes to America as the President of San Marcos. And even better, in this cheap disguise, he gives a botched speech asking for foreign aid, starting out with a REALLY inappropriate joke. It's hilarious. The Wild World of Sports coverage of non-sporting events such as honeymoon nights is pretty darn funny too.

Woody Allen is a master at making films. In this movie he even has a silent comedy bit when he's on a subway, showing how great he is both at comedy and artistic expression.

Bananas is a must-see. I probably only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I've seen it so many times that I practically have it memorized, and under those conditions, you just don't laugh at the film like you did when you first watched it. No movie has that much replay value.

Many say Annie Hall is Woody Allens best, but I've got to disagree. I've watched this movie countless times and can't stop laughing for more than a minute the whole time through. I fall asleep watching Annie Hall sometimes, It's pretty overrated. Banana's is one of the funniest movies of all time next to Take the Money and Run and What's Up Tiger Lily. I guess I like his old stuff the best. It's a great example of how far a guy will go for love? Nope, to get laid. It's laughs from begining to end. You'll hate Bananas if you hate Woody Allen. You'll love it if you love him.

Within a brief period of time Woody made Take the Money and Run, Bananas, and Sleeper, establishing himself as the funniest actor-director in ages. Like Take the Money and Run, this parody is mostly a series of sketch pieces, strung together by an unlikely premise. Just as when I first saw it over 30 years ago, some of the bits don't work, but more do. I particularly liked Howard Cosell commenting on a political assasination, and Woody trying to seduce a beautiful young revolutionary.

The mixing of bad puns, intellectual comedy, satire, farce and slapstick isn't seamless, but it sure is funny. Most of the jokes are as funny or as bad as they were 30 years ago. Some of the jokes have turned out to be prophetic.

I had not seen the film in nearly 20 years yet remembered it well as I watched the recently released DVD. It's still very funny stuff. The pacing of course is a little slower than how it might be done today--but not much.

I wonder if people under 25 will understand how funny the scenes with Howard Cosell are? Will they know how outrageous and even daring this material was 30 years ago? I'm not sure.

Some of the references and therefore the jokes might fall flat if you don't have a knowledge of late 60's/early 70's American pop culture and news events.

Early in the film Allen who plays a product tester, is testing an executive exercise device, paying homage to Chaplin's Modern Times, and it seems like the scene could have been out of the Farelly brothers latest comedy.

There are several one-liners like one about how common it is to attack an American Embassy which were fairly innocent and funny in 1971, 8 years before Tehran, but are more double edged when heard today.

The film is an homage to his favorite film comedians, the Marx Brothers. The title; Bananas a nod to the Marx Brothers Coconuts, the plot loosely inspired in spirit by Duck Soup and there's even a gag involving a harp, a tribute to Harpo.

We have very witty comments about the media, the very funny (and before it's time) New Testament Cigarette Ad, Allen's first dream sequence involving two groups of monks carrying two men on crosses (one being Allen, one being Allen Garfield) who wind up in fisticuffs over a parking place.

There's the wonderful scene where Allen desperate for some companionship tries to impress a female signature gatherer (played by Louise Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Lasser --his then wife) by pretending to be interested in Yoga, and attending various protests. This leads to Allen unwillingly joining a real revolution in a small South American Country, impersonating it's president to ask the American Government for money and... well don't ask... it actually almost makes sense which is part of what makes it all the more funny.

There's also Howard Cosell and AbC world wide Sports coverage of the assasination and later the wedding night, and for all of us who grew up on the East Coast, newscaster Roger Grimsby playing himself. The wonderful goofy musical score by Marvin Hamlish is just right too.

The DVD has a great transfer of a beautiful wide-screen print but no extras. Although the DVD didn't include the original brilliant radio ad for the film, it does have the wonderful original theatrical trailer for the film which is almost as good. It's one of my favorite trailers.

Chris Jarmick, Author (The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder-a steamy cyber- thriller ...)

This movie is a comedy classic, it's ridiculous. If your a fan of whitty and at times over the top humor this movie will not disappoint.