Woody Allen made Bananas back in 1971 but the biting social commentary in it is as relevant today as then. Specifically I’m referring to the political humor and the way he puts his Fielding Melish character on trial for treason, with Miss America testifying that disagreeing with the President is wrong.
I’m a big Woody Allen fan, so take my opinion with a grain of salt if you’re not, but I think this is just a terrific movie. Look at it from one angle and you see a constant barrage of jokes as he barely let seconds go by without either visual, physical, or oral humor. The movie opens with Don Dunphy and Howard Cosell, popular at the time as boxing commentators for ABC’s Wide World of Sports, parodying themselves by doing the setup and play-by-play on the assasination of a banana republic dictator, and ending with the same two going ringside at the consummation of Melish’s wedding to Nancy (Louise Lasser), including post-coital interviews.
From the other side, Bananas is a movie with a really funny plot, that hangs together from start to finish with no obvious gaps in logic or motivation. One can see his thematic and visual styles begin to emerge in what is, after all, only the second film he made. He had a co-writer, Mickey Rose, and I’d be interested in knowing who put what into the shooting script, but overall the movie cannot be mistaken as anyone else’s work.
One interesting aspect is that this is the last time that an Allen film does not have at its core a relationship between him and a woman. His character, Melish, is essentially no different than all the others he’s written over the years, just younger, awkward, shy, hypersexual, goofy, bumbling but, in the end, the winner. Though there is Lasser’s character and the film does end with them together, it just isn’t about them as a couple. Compare this to, say, Annie Hall or Manhattan and you’ll understand what I mean.
Recommended for laughter
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