Bananas (1971)

Bananas holds a special place in many people's hearts. Released in 1971, the film was only the second film Woody Allen ever directed (following on the heels of Take the Money and Run) but it remains one of the funniest films of that entire decade. A political satire and screwball comedy all in one - with a healhty dose of physical comedy - Bananas tells the story of one Fielding Mellish (Allen), a college dropout and current consumer products tester, living in New York and pursuing the liberal, psuedo-intellectual girl of his dreams, Nancy (Louise Lasser). The pair meet in one of the film's funniest scenes, as Nancy - a political activist - knocks on the door of Fielding's apartment, asking him to sign one of her petitions. The two have great natural chemistry (as they supposedly did offscreen as well at one time, as Ms. Lasser was Woody's wife from 1966-1969) and the scene ends with Woody signing the petition and asking Nancy out on a date.

The two begin to see each other, as Fielding tries feverently to prove to her that he is an activist too, attending rallies and protests and the like in an attempt to win her love. However, in the end she finally decides she can't be with him, because he's not dedicated enough, doesn't have enough leadership potential. She wants to be with a great man. So Mellish does the natural thing - he runs off to the small country of San Marcos, a country in the midst of deep political and social turmoil, and volunteers for the cause.

It is Allen's time in San Marcos when the political satire of Bananas really begins to kick in. Allen takes shots at all forms of government and war, and often to greatly humorous effect. In typical Allen fashion, he stumbles upwards in the movement, without particularly meaning to, and soon finds himself the unwillingly president of San Marcos. San Marcos realizes it's in need of a new leader, since their current leader has gone crazy and has used a recent public speaking event to announce that from now on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish, and that every one will have to change their underwear every half an hour. Of course, they will also be forced to wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes, so the government will be able to check. Faster than you can say revolution, Fielding Mellish (horribly fake beard and all) is the president of San Marcos.

Eventually, it is necessary for Mellish to return to the United States, as the head of the troubled San Marcos. Mellish is worried he will be found out for who he really is, but nonetheless makes the journey. He bumps into Nancy soon after, and she falls in love with him, assuming him to be a great political leader, rather than Fielding Mellish with a fake beard. They wind up sleeping together, upon which he reveals that he is Mellish. "I knew something was missing," she says.

I don't want to give away the whole plot, though a film like Bananas is really not about plot as much as it is about humor (think Duck Soup or the like). Though the plot grows more ridiculous at every turn, it does so to serve Woody's racing comic mind, allowing him the chance to throw out great lines, like my personal favorite, delivered in a courtroom scene near the end: "I object, your honor! This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham."

If you laughed while reading that, this movie is for you.

Release Date: April 28, 1971

Distributor: United Artists

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