Plot
One of Woody Allen's earlier, more slapstick-oriented efforts, Bananas tells the story of Fielding Mellish (Allen), a neurotic New Yorker who follows the object of his affections, Nancy (Louise Lasser), to the fictional Central American country of San Marcos, where she is involved in a revolution. Nancy wants nothing to do with Fielding, but he soon becomes a guest of the country's dictator (Carlos Montalban), before accidentally becoming the leader of San Marcos himself. Fielding is eventually shipped back to the US and tried as a subversive, but being that this is a comedy, and an especially light one at that, everything works out in the end. A far cry from Allen's later, more somber films, Bananas still works as an often hilarious amalgam of sight gags, one-liners, and bizarre asides.
Theatrical Release Date:
05/28/1997
DVD Release Date:
07/05/2000
Themes:
Success is the Best Revenge,Unlikely Heroes,Dropping Out
Tone:
Sexy,Easygoing,Irreverent,Racy,Madcap,Quirky,Goofy
Keywords:
Central-America,dictator,fish-out-of-water,politician,revolution,survivor,trial [courtroom]