3 stars out of 4
Added 6/10/2009
The Bottom Line:
A free-wheeling comedy by Allen, made before Annie Hall ushered in his more serious phase, Take the Money and Run offers a lot of laughs in a short period of time; its humor is not always sophisticated, but it should crack you up quite a bit.
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Unintended Side Effects
Added 4/29/2009
Probably the least funny of the old Woody Allen films that I've been re-visiting. Although I really did like the scene where he is given an experimental vaccine and suffers the unusual, "Side effects of turning into a rabbi for several hours."
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Awesome, funny, silly and the best
Added 11/17/2008
I can't stop laughing whenever I remember this movie. Have seen it dubbed in Persian language too and it was even more hilarious. Though I was curious to see the actual English language version and it was even funnier. gosh, this guy is brilliant. Loved it.... I think Woody Allen is a neurotic comedian and this work of him is among the best comedies I have seen. Good job 5/5
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You said "gub" again!
Added 11/11/2008
Told in a documentary style complete with voiceover and "interviews," Take the Money and Run is a hilarious play-by-play of the life of a hardened criminal named Virgil Starkwell (Woody Allen). From the day he was born, he devoted his life to crime from the beginning when he knocked off bubblegum machines to his later years when he attempted several bank robberies. Unfortunately, although Virgil was inventive, he was hardly smooth and all of his attempts ended in failure with his glasses smashed on the sidewalk. One good thing happened to him, though; he met a pretty girl (Janet Margolin) and fell in love.
This hilarious film has lost none of its punch over the years. There are so many memorable scenes and great running gags. The humor is still fresh and interesting, but the style blends well with modern comedy. Although Allen has moved away from this style in his more modern films, his early work appeals to younger audiences. This was the first time he wrote, directed, and starred in a film, a trend that would continue for years afterward.
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One of Woody Allen's best comedies
Added 9/22/2008
This is a hilarious, slapstick gem. It has some of Allen's best lines, a few incredibly entertaining situations and is one of his funniest comedies. This is a very funny movie, strongly recommended.
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As prophetic as it is funny
Added 5/14/2009
It's amazing this film was made in 1971, because it wasn't until ten years later that our government began to reel from criticism due to our involvement in El Salvador, Nicaragua and elsewhere in Latin America, in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The knowledge that we actually did (and still do) support roving death squads, military dictatorships, the overthrow of democratically elected governments etc makes "Bananas" decidedly less funny, at least to those of us who're old enough to remember the Reagan/Bush Sr. years. But still this is classic, early (if at times uneven) Woody Allen. Just a single scene, where the carriers of two men on crucifixes start to fight over a parking space, makes this film worth the cost of admission. It's one of the funniest clips ever put on film IMO, and is an astonishingly insightful commentary on religion in general.
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An OK Film
Added 3/23/2009
Definitely some good laughs in this one, even if it does slow down at times. I have never been a great admirer of Woody Allen's films but I have to admit he does some great gag writing. In this one he manages to become a guerrilla fighter in San Marcos, a small Latin American dictatorship which aspires to becomes a small Latin American Revolutionary state. But victory doesn't really change things for him.
The music is an aspect I never pay much attention to but in this film it really helps to make it. And I had no idea Sylvester Stallone made an early appearance in one of Woody's films as well.
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One of Woody Allen's finest movies
Added 3/1/2009
Given the political environment of early 1970s during which this movie was produced I think it is absolutely brilliant and hilarious. How can any one forget the court scene? Or the illiterate Marxist guerrillas in San Marcos? While it is funny, it is bitterly true as well. If you want lots of hard laughters, this should be on your list. I sometimes feel like I am gonna kill myself (jokingly of course) as a result of Allen's clumsiness and stupid nature. I was deprived of such movies back in Iran and now am enjoying his movies to the fullest and have most of his movies. Love it! 5/5
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