Bananas (1971)

(Traveling through the Films of Woody Allen)

Title: Bananas
Release Date: 28 April 1971
Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066808/
My Rating: (6/10) ★★★★★★✩✩✩✩


While generally sustaining the comedic tone throughout, parts of this movie feel too contrived to laugh at. Woody Allen's third feature as director follows the life of Fielding Mellish, a lovable loser who becomes president of San Marcos after his girlfriend Nancy (Louise Lasser) tells him he needs to be more of a leader. Woody Allen really begins to shapethat nervous character he's known for playing, and that may be the greatest success of this film. His neuroses are endearing, and at times he is quite attractive. 


As a whole the shots are usually funny and interesting and a lot of the sequences are hysterical (special mention to the breakup scene between Nancy & Fielding which seems like it could have been improvised), but not everything lands the way it may have been intended. I watched a four part interview with Woody Allen on youtube, shot right after Bananas was released, and I found that to be much more entertaining. But perhaps that's the big joke?