Bananas (1971)★ 7.2/10

As one of Woody Allen’s rare ventures into overtly political territory, the film lampoons the media and those in power with sharp absurdity. Yet its satire sometimes feels too pointed to resonate deeply with viewers, and the distance between the film’s political chaos and ordinary life makes it less emotionally engaging than his more personal works.

“Bananas” is a madcap political satire about Fielding Mellish, an ordinary office worker who falls in love, joins a South American communist revolution, and somehow ends up becoming president. Woody Allen skewers not just communism but also authoritarianism and the pursuit of power itself, suggesting that in the chaos of revolution, ideology often takes a backseat.