Bananas (1971)

Country: USA
Director: Woody Allen
Screenwriters: Woody Allen, Mickey Rose
Stars: Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban

Allen's 1971 comedy (the second he wrote, directed, and starred in) follows Fielding Mellish, a blue-collar product tester who feigns interest in the fictional warring country of San Marcos, and eventually travels there to settle the conflict.

Bananas comes from Allen's early slapstick years, and if you haven't seen it, you won't believe how fast the man can move (especially in a scene where he questions himself in court). The movie's filled to the brim with gags (being pressured into performing surgery by his proud father) and set pieces (the wide world of sports coverage of his wedding consummation) that really take it the extra mile.

The movie, coming after the initial success of Take the Money and Run took Allen from new talent to established comedy star. —GT