Take the Money and Run (1969)

One of Woody Allen's best comedies

This is a hilarious, slapstick gem. It has some of Allen's best lines, a few incredibly entertaining situations and is one of his funniest comedies. This is a very funny movie, strongly recommended. September 22, 2008

Extremely Funny But Too Bad About the DVD!

I wouldn't call myself a Woody Allen fan but I thought this film was simply hilarious and most of the jokes and gags hold up well even today and if you like off-beat humour ala "There's Something About Mary" or even "Saturday Night Live" you will find a lot to like about this film. The jokes come thick and fast and although not all of them score, the vast majority of them do making it a comedy that rewards repeated viewing.

The only problem is with the dvd which is not restored in any way and so the picture and sound quality really suffer in comparison with what's currently out there. There are no special features of note either. This film is certainly one of the funniest and most enjoyable that I've ever seen but my advice is to wait for the Blu-ray version that significantly restores the picture quality as well as adds good special features and has good audio options such as at a minimum a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround option to do justice to your home theatre system. August 10, 2008

Grit your teeth!

If you absolutely love Woody Allen, you'll love this movie. Otherwise, it's terribly slow and awfully boring. April 5, 2008

After fifteen minutes he wanted to marry her--and after half an hour he completely gave up the idea of stealing her purse

Take The Money And Run is the first movie Woody Allen ever wrote, directed and starred in all at once. Even early on in his film career, Woody Allen shows genius and promise to grow much, much further than most artists ever go. The film's plot moves along at a good pace and the acting increases the quality of the movie--and the jokes.

The film, as you may well know, is a spoof of documentaries called a "mockumentary." The film purports to show the life and times of a petty criminal named Virgil Starkwell (Woody Allen). We see him being bullied by his childhood peers on the streets and his failure at playing the cello signals his failure to become a successful criminal.

The film is essentially one gag after another in rapid fire. We see Virgil fail at bank robbery after bank robbery; perhaps the funniest is when Virgil and his buddies try to rob a bank when another gang wants to rob the same bank on the same day. We also see Virgil fall in love with beautiful Louise (Janet Margolin). Janet plays Louise with a great deal of realism and her matter-of fact attitude toward Virgil's bank robbing is comical as well.

In order to make Take The Money And Run feel even more like a documentary, we get "interviews" with Virgil's parents (who wear Groucho Marx glasses to disguise themselves) and teachers and acquaintances who knew Virgil. The acting is excellent.

The DVD doesn't offer too many extras but the movie is so well done that I will give this a five star rating anyway.

Take The Money And Run is sure to give you a laugh--in fact, you'll be laughing all the way. The "mockumentary" style of the film enhances its comedic effect. I highly recommend this film for people who enjoy comedy films and fans of Woody Allen.
December 5, 2007

Young Genius in Full Flower

When the history of 20th century comedy is written, someone will tell the story of the geniuses who emerged from the working class neighborhoods of New York's outer boroughs: Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. Neil Simon will make the list, along with Mel Brooks, and Woody Allen. There are others, of course. Together they make up one of the most remarkable flowerings of comic talent in American history. Woody's talent sprang from him fully formed. His basic gift is in full evidence in this early picture. It is debatable that he has improved with age, although it is worth noting that his exposure, like Harold Pinter's, to elegant, bourgeois life permanently altered the objects of his comic study. Mia Farrow introduced him to the good life, to aristocratic penthouse life, and there was no turning back. Still, his genius can be seen in his ability to adjust and move on. Later Woody is every bit as good as his early work, but not necessarily better, unless you happen to like posh talk and that very special boredom of the urban bourgeoisie. This early picture, though lacking in elegant settings and posh-talk, is vintage; here we having that wonderful skewering of pieties that one remembers from the Marx Brothers. Woody is wonderful at exposing pretensions, great and small. Here he plays a small-time hoodlum, a kind of Sylvester Stallone, played as a clumsy oaf, a loser, and nebbishy klutz, with eyes for the gals. Groucho, where are you? The film is a work of genius. It is a jewel. November 24, 2007

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