What role did Woody Allen play in 1971 comedy Bananas? Direction, screenplay, and more

Bananas is a popular comedy-drama that hit screens in 1971 and emerged as a massive commercial success, grossing $11.8 million globally on a budget of $2 million. It also received rave reviews for its wild and unpredictable narrative.

The film, directed by and starring Woody Allen, revolves around the events that transpire when a New Yorker travels to a tiny Latin country and gets drawn into its latest rebellion.

Its cast includes Lousie Lasser, Carlos Montalban, Natvidad Abascal, Howard Cosell Rene Enriquez, and Jack Axwlrod, among others.

Sylvester Stallone and Mary Jo Catlett make uncredited appearances in the film. Produced by Jack Grossberg, it was distributed by the now-defunct United Artists.

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Woody Allen played a blue-collar worker in Bananas

Bananas features Woody Allen as Fielding Mellish, a goofy and bumbling blue-collar worker who visits a fictional Latin country to impress his social activist girlfriend and ends up in the middle of a political movement.

He then hastily and clumsily tries to be a revolutionary, resulting in some hilarious situations. One thing leads to another and he ultimately finds himself on trial in the US for espionage.

In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Allen said that Bananas isn’t a political movie.

“They say it's a political film but I don't really believe much in politics. Groucho [Marx] has told me that 'the Marx Brothers' films were never consciously anti-establishment or political. It's always got to be a funny movie first.”.

Interestingly, it has shades of Allen’s 1969 film Take the Money and Run.

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Where was Bananas filmed?

The majority of the film, including the men on a cross sequence, was filmed in New York City. It is the most populous city in the United States and has emerged as a hub for commercial activities over the years.

NYC is home to the headquarters of the United Nations and a center for international diplomacy.

However, this is the only location where the film was shot. The team filmed the Fidel camp scenes in Playa de Cerro Gordo, Puerto Rica.

The beach is located in Vega Atla, a small town 18 miles SouthWest of San Juan, and features breathtakingly beautiful locales. It is considered to be a photographer's delight.

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Where to watch Bananas 1971 movie?

The film is available to stream with subtitles on Fubo TV. The platform’s monthly subscription costs between $32.99 and $94.99 depending on the plan. The service offers four packages

• Latino: It costs, $32.99 a month and offers two screens
• Pro: This plan costs $74.99 and allows viewers to watch content on 10 screens in their home network.

• Elite: The elite plan costs $84.99 and offers 4K streaming in addition to News Plus subscription.
• Premier: This package costs $94.99 and includes everything covered in the Elite package. It also offers Showtime Live and additional channels.

It is available on rent on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu. Viewers might want to explore one of these services if they don't have access to FuBo TV. However, Bananas is currently not available on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.

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Is Bananas worth a watch?

The film holds an approval rating of 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 35 reviews. However, the critics consensus is not available.

Its Metacritic rating stands at 67 percent based on seven reviews, indicating a mixed response. Bananas has an IMDb rating of 6.9 based on 37,288 votes. In 2000, it secured the 69th position on AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs list.