Take the Money and Run

Rating:
Summary: Some brillaint moments
Review: This was Allen's first so it may not be as tightly crafted as some of his later works but it is extremely funny. There are also many sequences and techniques that he developed more fully in later films. The false documentary format works very well here as it did when he perfected it in Zelig. The scene in the prison laundry is absolutely hysterical as are many others. Anyone who enjoys Woody Allen's brand of humor would want to own this one.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of Woody Allen's best
Review: Though I usually enjoy Woody Allen's more recent work, I'm one of many filmgoers whose heart still belongs to his earlier, anything-for-a-laugh, anarchistic comedies like Bananans, Sleeper, and this one. Take the Money And Run was Woody Allen's first real film to direct himself and it remains one of his funniest. Disguised as a documentary, this 1969 film tells the hilarious story of Virgil Starkweather, the world's most inept (if stupidly optomistic) thief. Like most of Woody Allen's early films, everything is played almost solely for the laughs it might provide and nearly forty years later, it all holds up very well. Lots of hilarious stuff in here (at times, this film is the funniest Mel Brooks film that Mel Brooks never made) but my personal favorite bits would have to include: Virgil's parents who disguise their indentities by wearing Groucho Marx glasses but will be familiar to anyone whose seen any of Allen's films, Virgil's attempt to rob a bank is foiled when none of the clerks can read his bad handwriting, another robbery goes wrong when a rival gang decides to rob the same bank at the same time, Virgil's attempt to escape from prison by making a fake gun out of soap is ruined when it starts to rain, the sight of Woody Allen on a southern chain gang (and being punished by being locked in the hole with an insurance salesman), and especially the scene where a man Virgil attempts to mug turns out to be not only a childhood school friend but an undercover cop as well. Directing with a wild-anything-goes-spirit, Woody Allen gives one of his first (and best) "born loser" performances as Virgil. Amongst all the madness, the film also presents a bizarrely sweet love story between Virgil and his wife, who is well-played by the lovely (and the sadly no longer with us) Janet Margolin. Always underappreciated, Margolin was one of those forgotten, at times almost painfully vulnerable actresses that one can't help but fall in love with everytime she appears on screen. Though overshadowed by the later Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow, Janet Margolin was Woody Allen's first unlikely love interest (in both film and briefly real life) and they have a strong chemistry together that adds much heart to a wild film. Take the Money and Run remains hilarious and will be enjoyed by both fans of Woody Allen and classic film comedy.

Rating:
Summary: More Nutritious Than A Bowl Of Steam!
Review: Woody definitely hit the comedy goldmine here with the story of Virgil Starkwell, World's Most Incompetent Criminal!

Done in a Prison/Heist movie meets Documentary style, Woody Allen and his inspired cast take you for a hilarious ride through the underworld with one hilarious mishap after another coming at you at machine gun pace. Punctuated by a great Marvin Hamlisch score and the authoritative yet clipped over-serious narration of the late Jackson Beck underlining the most absurd and hilarious moments, this is one movie that you just cannot tear yourself away from or stop laughing at and with.

Thrill and howl as you witness Virgil's cello virtuosity (LOL) in a marching band, his attempt to escape a chain gang that results in his imprisonment with an insurance salesman and his attempts at raising a family while on the run.

A comedy classic if ever there was! The Best of THE EARLY FUNNY ONES!





Rating:
Summary: The First In A Long Line Of Classics
Review: Yes old Woody Allen movies are far different. But that's what is so wonderful. His newer movies tend to be a little less funny at times, yet more interesting as far as the story goes. His old movies may be a little weaker in the story department but are WICKED funny. Try and get through the marching band scene without wetting yourself. Too funny.

Woody Allen is classic in every sense and a national treasure. LONG LIVE WOODY!!!!