Sick Product of a Sick System

Perfect cast and a good story

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) is a pathetic worker drone. He tries to push out a couple of subway thugs (Sylvester Stallone) but it doesn't quite work out. Political activist Nancy (Louise Lasser) knocks on his door and he falls head over heels for her. He tries to impress her by going to the banana republic of San Marcos ruled by dictator General Emilio Vargas and then joining the revolutionaries.The humor is a bit random and a bit too broad. Also Louise Lasser is not compelling enough. She definitely doesn't add anything to the comedy. I just feel this comedy is way too disjointed. I get whiplashed from one comedy skit to another. One scene may be funny but the next one has me scratching my head. Even the camera style seems disconnected and too much of the comedy fails to hit. It's suggested that there are some improvisations but that is a particular skill that not all comedians or actors have. Woody seems capable but I wouldn't bet anybody else in the movie is quite as capable. Woody needs a good co-star to play off of him. This is a movie that has some great jokes but when the jokes don't work, they really bother me. And he really needs better comedy partners in the movie.

Whay isn't slapstick taken seriously? Because the reason it works s because folks take things so seriously. Bananas is a silly foray into the life and silliness of Fielding Melish, a product tester who falls in love with the first girl who knocks at his door, yet she's as neurotic as he. A perfect match? Not for a while, and we get to see why through skits, set ups, and ridiculously immature delivery. For me, this plays like a record with a theme that gets lost throughout but the excursions are funnier than the main plot. While a banana republic being propped up by a U.S. government is laughable conceptually, the small time nature of such a follow through seems only a set up for more gags. All of the rebel camp bits could be translated elsewhere and were in later movies such as the weapon assembly and training camp shenanigans in Love & Death, The Howard Coseel boxing match calls at the opening and closing scenes completely work for me, but your mileage may vary.

Review: This has to be Woody Allens worst film! The storyline is badly written and the jokes were terrible. As usual, Allen seems to get his leg over at some point, which wasn't surprising, but the whole political storyline was all over the place. Personally, I lost interest halfway through the film and I struggled to stay awake. And why  doesn't he comb his hair! Anyway, I usually prefer his earlier work to his films during the 90's, but I can't see why anyone would enjoy this film. Judging by the movies taking, it must have gone down well with audiences, which must be down to the period that the movie got released. Terrible!Round-Up: I don't know what Woody Allen was trying to attempt with this film. Most of his movies have a hidden message, but this film is completely bananas. The commentary from the news cast was also a bad attempt at humour along with the terrible training in the jungle. Basically I found this film a total waste of time and I can't find a good word to say about it.Budget: $2million Worldwide Gross: $12millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there Woody Allen movies about a product tester who gets kidnapped by rebels. 1/10

This film is an excellent depiction of how people construct narratives of their own past. They take what they like, exaggerate those aspects, try to fit it into a coherent story. They try to construct stories that depict them as who they want to be. People may tell these constructed stories to others, but they also try to convince themselves of the veracity of their constructed stories. This movie explores these ideas in a very powerful way, through the viewpoint of a boy growing up. I found it especially meaningful because I can personally relate to it. I'm not going to spoil the best scenes for you by telling you the way in which the ideas are presented.