Bananas
A hapless consumer-products tester joins a revolution and stumbles into the presidency in Woody Allen’s gleefully anarchic political farce.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- anarchic
- comedy night
- classic film viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film hilarious and inventive, praising its inspired absurdist gags while noting its loose plotting and underdeveloped romance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fielding joins a revolution and unexpectedly becomes president amid jokes about political activism, the cia, and authoritarian power.
Nancy rejects Fielding as an ineffectual consumer-products tester but becomes attracted to him after he rises to political leadership.
Fielding runs off to San Marcos, joins the rebels, and eventually becomes president despite his initial lack of leadership potential.
The San Marcos revolution and its surrounding political institutions turn the imagined country into a target of broad geopolitical comedy.
Films like Bananas, and why
Take the Money and Run
shares anarchic screwball humor, political satire, an absurd protagonist, and rapid-fire comic escalation
The Great Dictator
shares surreal political comedy, irreverent social satire, and a farcical outsider navigating power
The Dictator
shares anti-establishment humor, romantic entanglement, and comic treatment of political upheaval
Movie Details
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Release Date
- 1971-04-28
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (850)
Cast
- Woody Allen
- Louise Lasser
- Carlos Montalbán
- Nati Abascal
- Jacobo Morales
- Miguel Ángel Suárez
- René Enríquez
- Jack Axelrod
- Howard Cosell
- Charlotte Rae
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bananas about?
- A hapless consumer-products tester joins a revolution and stumbles into the presidency in Woody Allen’s gleefully anarchic political farce.
- What is Bananas like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bananas as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bananas violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bananas as mild.
- What did critics think of Bananas?
- Critics broadly found the film hilarious and inventive, praising its inspired absurdist gags while noting its loose plotting and underdeveloped romance.
- Which films are like Bananas?
- Films with a similar feel include Take the Money and Run, The Great Dictator, and The Dictator.
- How long is Bananas?
- Bananas runs 82 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bananas?
- In United States, Bananas is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
