Take the Money and Run was Woody Allen's first film as star-writer-director and the start of a career pattern that saw classics like Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, A Midsummer Nights Sex Comedy and Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Allen had partly written and had supporting roles in earlier comedies like What's New Pussycat? and the mess that was Casino Royale but this was his first complete film with him as director as well. He was initially skeptical about whether he could pull it off and suggested that Jerry Lewis direct him. In fact, you can see the influence of the more physical type of Jerry Lewis humor in this and much less of the Woody Allen dialog driven humor. There is almost no suggestion of the neurotic Jewish character that Allen later typecast himself in.
Take the Money and Run is interesting viewing for all Woody Allen fans because this is where it all started. There are several funny gags as well. Woody Allens taste in women was good even at the start of his career. On the whole, the entire documentary style was an interesting approach, but there appear to be holes in the structure and in many ways this reminded me of one of Jerry Lewis's earliest films as a solo performer - The Bellboy. The similarity is in the concept of piecing together several funny skits, the whole being less than the sum of its parts.
Take the Money and Run is interesting viewing for all Woody Allen fans because this is where it all started. There are several funny gags as well. Woody Allens taste in women was good even at the start of his career. On the whole, the entire documentary style was an interesting approach, but there appear to be holes in the structure and in many ways this reminded me of one of Jerry Lewis's earliest films as a solo performer - The Bellboy. The similarity is in the concept of piecing together several funny skits, the whole being less than the sum of its parts.