Take the Money and Run

Woody Allen stars as Virgil Starkwell, the most incompetent criminal to ever make the most wanted list, in Allen's official 1969 feature debut as a director. Narrated in the authoritative tones of the omniscient narrator (Jackson Beck, a veteran radio commentator) who reads comic lines with deadly serious gravity, it spoofs documentary conventions as it tells the story of a bullied kid who graduates from petty crime to bank robbery in gag-laden skits. Along the way, the film parodies genres such as the prison drama, the caper film, and the prison break thriller, with chain gang scenes out of classic prison dramas from the 1930s up through Cool Hand Luke. While using the documentary format for humorous ends was popular in older Hollywood short subjects, Allen took the idea in new directions with cartoonish gags and verbal humor that mixed historical and literary references together with neurotic commentary and stand-up schtick, giving rise to a whole new genre of comedy: the mockumentary. It's hit-or-miss but hilarious at its best, full of throwaway gags (the identities of Virgil's parents are protected by goofy plastic novelty glasses). A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)