Review of Bananas (2006) by Jennifer S — 30 Jun 2009
Bananas is a very early Woody Allen comedy. Closer in relation to Love and Death than Manhattan, Bananas is as zany and slapstick as Allen makes them. In the film, Allen plays Fielding Mellish, a neurotic, nebbish New Yorker who meets a beautiful girl who introduces him to leftist politics and the joys of being sprayed with a gigantic fire hose at rowdy protests. After she breaks up with him, the heart broken Mellish travels to San Marcos, a Central South American dictatorship on the verge of revolution, where he accidentally gets involved with the rebels who are trying to overthrow the government.
Yes...you heard me right...this is a slapstick comedy. About Communist revolutionaries.
Bananas is not my favorite Woody Allen movie. It lacks the poignancy of Annie Hall and the jokes-per-minute hilarity of Love and Death, but there are plenty of funny moments and scenes (the Howard Cosell sports commentary during the wedding night consummation of Fielding and Nancy's marriage is priceless). People who aren't Woody Allen fans will do well to avoid it since it has a LOT of Woody Allen being his neurotic, nervous self. But if you ARE a fan, you shouldn't miss this one.
This review of Bananas (2006) was written by Jennifer S on 30 Jun 2009.
Bananas has generally received positive reviews.
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