Overview
A hapless criminal's misadventures lead to laugh-out-loud moments and unexpected twists.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- deadpan
- eccentric
- lazy sunday
- classic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an eccentric, inventive, and frequently funny mock-documentary comedy, while noting that its comic rhythm and visual gags can become monotonous.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Virgil Starkwell's life is narrated as a documentary, with voice-over and interviews with relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
Virgil repeatedly attempts bank robberies and other crimes despite ineptitude, misfortune, and poor preparation.
Virgil's failed musical career, criminal obsession, and recurring bad luck define his self-image and life story.
Family members, friends, and acquaintances discuss Virgil in a straight-faced documentary format while the events remain broadly comic.
Films like Take the Money and Run, and why
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
shares a mockumentary structure, deadpan criminal protagonist, eccentric humor, and documentary-style interviews
The Ladykillers
shares incompetent criminal schemes, absurdist comedy, and a hapless outsider at the center
Small Time Crooks
shares comic criminality, awkward social observation, and a neurotic central performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Release Date
- 1969-08-18
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (809)
Cast
- Woody Allen
- Janet Margolin
- Marcel Hillaire
- Jacquelyn Hyde
- Lonny Chapman
- Jan Merlin
- James Anderson
- Howard Storm
- Mark Gordon
- Micil Murphy
Common questions
- What is Take the Money and Run about?
- A hapless petty criminal pursues bank robberies and personal legitimacy while a deadpan mock-documentary records his lifelong talent for failure.
- What is Take the Money and Run like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Take the Money and Run as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Take the Money and Run violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Take the Money and Run as mild.
- What did critics think of Take the Money and Run?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an eccentric, inventive, and frequently funny mock-documentary comedy, while noting that its comic rhythm and visual gags can become monotonous.
- Which films are like Take the Money and Run?
- Films with a similar feel include The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, The Ladykillers, and Small Time Crooks.
- How long is Take the Money and Run?
- Take the Money and Run runs 85 minutes.
