Rating of
4/4
Slapstick Genius from Woody Allen
Andrew - wrote on 05/06/12
Bananas is very much a slapstick comedy, a characteristic of Woody Allen's early work. The film's plot is parody of the Cuban Revolution, with Allen playing Fielding Mellish, a blue collar worker who gets caught up in a banana republic's revolution (hence the title) and eventually becomes the leader of that country, San Marcos. His comedic timing is as good as ever, with his usual one liners, as well as some impressive bits of physical comedy. Louise Lasser plays Nancy, the stereotypical woman's lib activist of the early 70's and the love interest of Mellish, who is everything he is not: well educated, intelligent, and good looking. The film is very short, only 82 minutes, but the laughs are frequent and Allen is clearly at his slapsticky best. Banana's is one of Allen's best efforts as a writer, director, and actor, and should not be missed.
