Bananas

Fielding Mellish is a hapless, well meaning New Yorker who loses his activist girlfriend and suddenly finds his bearings shaking. Hoping to escape the breakup, he travels to a tiny Latin American country and stumbles into its latest uprising. He blunders from one absurd scenario to the next, misreading loyalties, parading as a hero, and scrambling to stay alive as tensions flare around him. The situation spirals into political farce, with Mellish’s nerve and vanity turning a simple romance into a national spectacle. The comedy comes from his overconfidence in ordinary situations and his capacity to complicate events rather than resolve them, all under Woody Allen’s sharp humor. He mistakes each crisis for a chance to prove himself for good.

Directed by Woody Allen, Bananas comes from an original screenplay co written with Mickey Rose. It arrived in 1971 and helped establish Allen as a master of offbeat political humor, a bold voice shaping his early filmography and comedic persona.

It grossed about 11.8 million dollars worldwide against a modest two million budget, signaling solid commercial appeal for a film of political absurdity. The return helped cement Allen's growing name in audiences and proved his satirical approach could draw crowds.

Bananas helped cement Woody Allen's image as a neurotic misfit who treats political theater as slapstick. Its satire of media spin, international crises, and commodified revolution influenced later political comedies mixing farce with events.

Critical reception noted the brisk pace and sharp humor, with praise for Allen's persona and the film's pointed satire of activism and personal vanity. Themes include the clash between idealism and self interest, the theater of rebellion, and the costs of bravado. Critics acclaimed Allen's timing and nerve, even today.