This movie was great. - Bananas (1971) Discussion

[–] 1011 19 years ago

I love Bananas. It's better than Sleeper, I think- less spurious. Favourite bit has to be when Fielding falls down the manhole. It's silly but you gotta laugh.
Also, this exchange:
Fielding Mellish: I love you, I love you.
Nancy: Oh, say it in French! Oh, please, say it in French!
Fielding Mellish: I don't know French.
Nancy: Oh, please... please!
Fielding Mellish: What about Hebrew?
Nancy: [disappointed] Oh.

Why the board for Bananas is so lacking in posts, I don't know. One of the best comedies I've seen in a while.

A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste

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[–] MeanMachine2005 19 years ago

I think the funniest part of the movie was when the rebels were teaching Mellish how to be a solider. LOL. And was that really Danny DeVito in the closet playing a harp?

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[–] TheRetroCritic 19 years ago

lol, no it wasn't!
Anyway, I love Bananas. Especially the courtroom scene, pure genius.
My favourite line is when he goes to diner with the dictator and there are musicians pretending to play their instruments then he goes:
"Could you keep it down? I'm getting a headache" hehe

Film and Jim Carrey fansite with forum:

http://cablogula.tripod.com

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[–] joegranby 19 years ago

I guess there might not be many posting about this because they think it's a bit dated, perhaps? As with all films, age eventually catches up with it, plus us humans too, so you have to view it as an older person, looking back on it, or a younger person seeing it as they do now. I guess if you look at it from the period and time it came from, then it is very funny and most of the jokes work and hit home.

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[–] Torn-and-frayed 18 years ago

I guess you could say I'm a younger person to this film (18) but I loved it (as I do most of Woody’s work). The jokes do still work.

New viewers should be pointed in Woody’s direction from a young age. Bananas has infinitely more wit and charm than Scary Movie 6 or whatever they're buying into now.

I laughed so much during this movie I have to watch it again and again just to make sure I got all the jokes this time. Sometimes you miss a few from laughing over them from the last one.

I just don’t think Woody’s films get the recognition they disserve. Even something like Annie Hall only gets about 50 posts. Criminal.

"Enough with the badges! When do we get the freakin' guns!?"

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[–] suckerdwsp316 18 years ago

bananas was good. it was a bit too surreal for me. so many bizarre side stories, and jokes. this is early woody who is still trying to make us laugh our asses off and not using enough bergman tricks, and philosophical mumbo jumbo like in his later, greater movies. but this was still good, and had some brilliant parts (trying out the office gym, 1000 cheese sandwiches, cosell covering the consemation as if it were a boxing match) but at the same time, it had dull, mindless parts, (lets both recieve, you recieve, i give, you give, what the *beep* are you talking about woody??) anyway it was a good movie and i enjoyed it.

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[–] tay-15 18 years ago

Woody's early, zanier films always had some jokes that missed the mark. That never bugged me, since most of the material was so damn funny. And it's nice to get so many laughs out of dialogue, which seems to be a lost art in Hollywood, with all the crap scripts being churned out.

Since everyone's familiar with the comedy in the film, I'd like to give some props to the cinematography. I'm remembering at least a couple shots that I always liked: When he's talking to Lasser in Central Park, with their image on the edge of the screen. And the shot in the jungle that reflects through his glasses. That's another thing I always liked with Woody, you get more than just the funny stuff.

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[–] mitchab007 16 years ago

I'm 25 and I think this film's hilarious, I love the fake ad for "new testament" cigarettes- "smoke new testament cigarettes and all is forgiven". I think nearly all of it works, and actually I loved the give and recieve dialogue, it always cracks me up on every viewing. Too many people dislike Allen cos he married his stepdaughter (supposedly, but as far as I can tell, Mia and Woody were never married, or even living together so...)

Anyway dont listen to me, listen to John Waters:
"Woody Allen has the best career of any American director. They don't like him in America now because they never got over who he married - hell, I don't care, they're still together and it's sure lasted longer than anyone I've ever been with."
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2180140,00.html

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[–] [email protected] 18 years ago

I saw this movie when it first came out and I was a young teenager - it was my first exposure to 'adult' comedy and I really took to it, and am still grateful for the intelligence and wit I was privy to. Still funny every time I see it.

Looking back now, I get a kick out of J. Edgar Hoover in drag at the courtroom - Woody was on to something!

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[–] tay-15 18 years ago

Reviewing the Quotes section here, reminds me there are so many hilarious lines.

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[–] secondnapoleon 17 years ago

I was born well after this (I'm just 16), but it's probably my favourite Allen comedy. The first three quarters are side-splitting (especially the bit where he's dining with Vargas) and the fourth quarter (after he's arrested), although a bit embarassing in some parts, is still very good.

And yes it has great quotes.

Fielding: Can you guys keep it down? I'm getting a headache here!

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[–] tay-15 17 years ago

I'm impressed (I'm 42). As you get older, I bet you'll appreciate his later films just as much.

Yeah, isn't the courtroom stuff in the last quarter? "He's a bad apple, a commie. A New York, Jewish, intellectual communist crack pot ... I mean, I don't want to cast no aspersions."

We laughed about that "aspersions" line for years; it became kind of a catch phrase for us.

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[–] jy55 (12) 4 years ago

I liked the scene in the dictator's palace and when he's training with the revolutionaries.

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