The expectation:
I personally think that Woody Allen is a comic genious. He definitely has his own unique style and I think that he writes great films for himself to star in. I had the chance to see this film on the side of a truck, outside at a local brewery- the perfect setting for this casual and funny film. I expected early Woody Allen- neurotic, creative, a little odd, and severely confusing. I also expected at least one session with an analyst!
The result:
Woody Allen, I think, is at his best when he stars- in addition to writing and directing, probably because he writes characters that are always himself. I feel that if I met him on the street I would know his personality immediately- that probably isn't fair, but too bad. Bananas is the perfect title for this film because not only is the plot increasingly crazy but the characters also do ridiculous things, and Allen tries to incorporate a lot of slapslick into the film. Woody Allen is not the best at slapslick- he has his own style that mixes lethargy and self-deprecation into the delivery that I feel he can only pull off. He has managed to create a persona that has pushed him through his career- the pitiable failure who you don't especially like- but that we can all relate to. The film touches on nationalistic exploitation, US interference, clashes between police and protestor, and revolutions turning into dictatorships. There are a lot of these 'important' messages taht I think get hidden within the comedy instead of being highlighted through comedy-as we are prone to see sometimes. As we all know- comedy allows us to process the difficult moments we can have as a culture- but this Woody Allen's story is a bit too ridiculous to take it seriously at any moment. As its title says- Bananas!
What to look out for:
The session with the analyst is there...therapy is good for all of us.
Flickr photo by Megkip
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