And that's exactly what it is; pure bud enjoyment. OK, it's not a Fellini and in the stream of the ''big booted comedies'' Spencer and hill got us used with, this one fits perfectly. But look closer. Buffoons are never recognized to their full value. If Pedersoli was to play dramatic roles with the same intensity as the one he gives to his comedy characters to make us happy, he would have been one of the most recognized actor of the times. Unfortunately, in banana Joe people tend to see only the comedy part of the movie. But the satyr about the economic system and the bureaucracy is so delightful... I gave this movie a score of 7 for overall quality and intelligence in its credo. Thank you Mr. Pedersoli for having made the choice of becoming a comedian over a dramatist.
8 Reviews
Bemusing comedy set on far country for Bud Spencer enthusiastic, repeating his usual role
ma-cortes2 May 2008
Banana Joe(Bud Spencer) is a corpulent and kind illiterate living on a tropical island in the Caribe. He trades bananas when a mobster named Torsillo wishes to take his commerce. Then , for first time in his existence, he goes to big city for getting an identity certificate . There he knows a beautiful singer named Dorianne(Marina), facing off dangers, truck racers(with usual Peplum, Nello Pazzafini as a Torsillo's truck driver) and several adventures.
This is a good amusing juvenile for Bud Spencer fans, but he's delight; it packs action, fist-play, slapdash, humor with tongue and check and is quite entertaining. This release has some cool and even hilarious moments, though the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer duo films are better. The film isn't always good , sometimes is fresh and diverting and on a couple of memorable occasions ,it's frankly delicious. The movie displays innumerable laughters and slapstick, including a sour satyr about bureaucracy and the army when Banana Joe is forced to enlist for obtaining a identity document. Sympathetic screenplay by the usual, Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci and Carlo Perdesoli(alias Bud Spencer). Catching musical score with noisy songs by Guido and Mauricio De Angelis(Spaghetti Western habitual). The motion picture is professionally directed by Steno, Stefano Vanzina(father of Carlo Vanzina). He wrote and directed in the 60s Toto vehicles(Toto vs the four, Two colonels); Walter Chiari and Raimondo Vianello shows(Heroes of the West, Twins from Texas). In the 70s and 80s directed Bud Spencer movies about Flatfoot or Rizzo, also called Piedone, such as, Flatfoot in Hong Kong, Piedone in Africa, Flatfoot in Egypt. And in the 80s directed TV series , the Professore Jack Clementi, again with Bud Spencer.
This is a good amusing juvenile for Bud Spencer fans, but he's delight; it packs action, fist-play, slapdash, humor with tongue and check and is quite entertaining. This release has some cool and even hilarious moments, though the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer duo films are better. The film isn't always good , sometimes is fresh and diverting and on a couple of memorable occasions ,it's frankly delicious. The movie displays innumerable laughters and slapstick, including a sour satyr about bureaucracy and the army when Banana Joe is forced to enlist for obtaining a identity document. Sympathetic screenplay by the usual, Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci and Carlo Perdesoli(alias Bud Spencer). Catching musical score with noisy songs by Guido and Mauricio De Angelis(Spaghetti Western habitual). The motion picture is professionally directed by Steno, Stefano Vanzina(father of Carlo Vanzina). He wrote and directed in the 60s Toto vehicles(Toto vs the four, Two colonels); Walter Chiari and Raimondo Vianello shows(Heroes of the West, Twins from Texas). In the 70s and 80s directed Bud Spencer movies about Flatfoot or Rizzo, also called Piedone, such as, Flatfoot in Hong Kong, Piedone in Africa, Flatfoot in Egypt. And in the 80s directed TV series , the Professore Jack Clementi, again with Bud Spencer.
Fun watch despite weaknesses in the middle part
Horst_In_Translation2 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
"Banana Joe" is an Italian movie (mostly) in the Italian language as well and this one was released back in 1982, so it is almost 40 years old now and on the picture here on imdb you can already see that this is another Bud Spencer movie. He was really famous back then here in Germany (not in the United States) and is still known by many now in 2020. However, the picture is also a bit misleading because the boy he carries there is not a vital part of the story at all the way Spencer sometimes has young characters as co-leads in his films, especially the one with the alien. It is all about Spencer/Joe in here. Nobody else. Anyway, the fact that Spencer was huge (not just physically) back then in West Germany is als proven by this being a West German co-production and one of the five(!) writers of this slightly over 1.5 hours being German Gunther-Philipp. Well, Austrian. Or Hungarian. Or Romanian. Not entirely clear, but his name seems to indicate that German was his native language. Another writer is Steno, the director of this film and he has worked with Spencer on so many occasions, also at the very end of his life (Steno's life). I hope now that they are both gone forever, they are still somewhere out there united again. Okay, let's not get melancholic now. I shall try my best. Not too easy with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Over the Rainbow" running in the background. Well, now I am really drifting away here. I just wanted to add that, as for the basics, Spencer was also one of the writers and this was his first writing credit ever and the only one in fact before the "Big Man" series. Now I already mentioned his size twice, so let me make a specific reference to a quote from this film here. Joe is asked on one occasion if everybody in his village is as big as he is. And his response is that this is not the case, but the other males are all rather puny. That was one of the funniest moments for me from the entire movie, also Spencer's face expression when he says so. He sure has a way to entertain by expressing slightly mean things in a charmingly funny manny that you can't really be mad at him. He says this to a female character and yes, he does indeed have a love interest here. She even comes to visit him when he is in danger of going to jail. This is definitely a bit unusual for a Spencer movie, normally he is a lone wolf and there are generally almost no female characters in his films. The one here is a night club singer (played by German actress Marina Langner) and her inclusion was nothing I enjoyed that much, but Spencer made the most of it looking at how shy he is when around a woman he likes compared to his gruff brute self when he is up against other (usually evil) men. So this quote I liked and his behavior and also the extended scene how he makes sure nobody touches the woman (just like he was told to). Things do get really hilarious when very influential men, politicians etc. start touching her and he pushes them all out of the club. Or even the guy who told him to protect her. That was hilarious. An order is an order you could say. Joe is definitely a man of principles. This is also why the girl likes him I suppose.
But there is not just positive. I enjoyed the above I just mentioned, but there are also some lengths. Early on and at the end at the banana village, the film was at its best, but in-between (like I said in the title of my review) it is not always spot-on. For example the scene in which he tried to get these documents to be allowed to keep selling bananas was a bit too long for my taste. And while Pedersoli (Spencer's real name) did his best to make it work, it felt more like something from those Italian cinema movies from two decades older, the ones in black-and-white, usually comedies, or even an older French comedy, but with Spencer it was not working entirely. Other people may see this differently of course. It is just my subjective perception. There is no denying that the good quality here is still far more frequent than the bad, but I am not sure if I gave this film a thumbs-up with another lead than Spencer. Perhaps not. He is just a force of nature with his recognition value. Americans don't know how much they are missing out. At best, they may know Terence Hill, who is not in this film though. Solo effort for Spencer here. One thing I liked linked to the bananas is very early when Joe takes care of the guys who sell low quality bananas because he wants people to enjoy his high-quality bananas with love inside them and not the garbage bananas who only have one purpose: profit. This is actually a thought process that you will find far more frequently in people's minds nowadays in the 21st century than back then in the early 1980s. Just a minor quote/scene, but it stayed in my mind for some reason. Also I liked the title song. The music is always nice in Spencer's films, but Olimpio and Oliver Onions (the Spencer regulars) really delivered here once again. Such a catchy number! I had to put it on my MP3 player immediately. And that means something, even if there are over 1,000 other songs on it. Anyway, back to the film at hand. I think this is a movie that you can also watch and enjoy nowadays still, a really long timeafter its release and who knows, maybe it's already been 50 years depending on when you read this review. I am positive Spencer's movies won't be forgotten and I am always glad to see they are showing some again here on German television, which admittedly could be more often the case again and not just when there is a holiday. Yesterday was Whitsun and they showed like six films in one day. Despite the flaws (forgettable main villain, forgettable fights against bureaucracy), there is no hesitation for me in giving this movie a thumbs-up. Another moment I liked was the scene that had him at the army. Okay, story-wise it is really difficult to make sense with how he even got there, but the fact that he always says his name is Banana Joe and not Joe (last name) already made obvious that this film is not about making sense. Just look at how unrealistic it is with whom he ends up in the same cell. It's all about fun and the likable protagonist. Anyway, as for the army scene, I found it really funny when the commander asks him to punch him as hard as he can and what Joe says and does in response. Pretty hilarious. Go watch this film. Also a nice choice to start with if you have never seen another Spencer movie. It was not the first time I watched this one (maybe third or so), but it is still fun and does not get worse on rewatch because you kinda expect the outcome anyway. But it does not hurt the film in any way. Go for it. Easy thumbs-up, although it is not one of my most favorite Pedersoli movies. Bananas are amazing though!
But there is not just positive. I enjoyed the above I just mentioned, but there are also some lengths. Early on and at the end at the banana village, the film was at its best, but in-between (like I said in the title of my review) it is not always spot-on. For example the scene in which he tried to get these documents to be allowed to keep selling bananas was a bit too long for my taste. And while Pedersoli (Spencer's real name) did his best to make it work, it felt more like something from those Italian cinema movies from two decades older, the ones in black-and-white, usually comedies, or even an older French comedy, but with Spencer it was not working entirely. Other people may see this differently of course. It is just my subjective perception. There is no denying that the good quality here is still far more frequent than the bad, but I am not sure if I gave this film a thumbs-up with another lead than Spencer. Perhaps not. He is just a force of nature with his recognition value. Americans don't know how much they are missing out. At best, they may know Terence Hill, who is not in this film though. Solo effort for Spencer here. One thing I liked linked to the bananas is very early when Joe takes care of the guys who sell low quality bananas because he wants people to enjoy his high-quality bananas with love inside them and not the garbage bananas who only have one purpose: profit. This is actually a thought process that you will find far more frequently in people's minds nowadays in the 21st century than back then in the early 1980s. Just a minor quote/scene, but it stayed in my mind for some reason. Also I liked the title song. The music is always nice in Spencer's films, but Olimpio and Oliver Onions (the Spencer regulars) really delivered here once again. Such a catchy number! I had to put it on my MP3 player immediately. And that means something, even if there are over 1,000 other songs on it. Anyway, back to the film at hand. I think this is a movie that you can also watch and enjoy nowadays still, a really long timeafter its release and who knows, maybe it's already been 50 years depending on when you read this review. I am positive Spencer's movies won't be forgotten and I am always glad to see they are showing some again here on German television, which admittedly could be more often the case again and not just when there is a holiday. Yesterday was Whitsun and they showed like six films in one day. Despite the flaws (forgettable main villain, forgettable fights against bureaucracy), there is no hesitation for me in giving this movie a thumbs-up. Another moment I liked was the scene that had him at the army. Okay, story-wise it is really difficult to make sense with how he even got there, but the fact that he always says his name is Banana Joe and not Joe (last name) already made obvious that this film is not about making sense. Just look at how unrealistic it is with whom he ends up in the same cell. It's all about fun and the likable protagonist. Anyway, as for the army scene, I found it really funny when the commander asks him to punch him as hard as he can and what Joe says and does in response. Pretty hilarious. Go watch this film. Also a nice choice to start with if you have never seen another Spencer movie. It was not the first time I watched this one (maybe third or so), but it is still fun and does not get worse on rewatch because you kinda expect the outcome anyway. But it does not hurt the film in any way. Go for it. Easy thumbs-up, although it is not one of my most favorite Pedersoli movies. Bananas are amazing though!
nice movie.
emilian779 July 2000
Joe is a good man, that lives in a south American forest commercing bananas in surrounding villages. He doesn't have a surname, an identity document, a selling licence: this became a problem when local crime attempt to seize the bananas commerce of the state...... A good comedy, ironic (in the style of Corbucci), and with the usual iron punch of Bud Spencer! (here without his classic buddy Terence Hill).
Plays to formula and succeeds
Leofwine_draca6 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
BANANA JOE is another vehicle for the larger-than-life comedy great Bud Spencer, one of his solo efforts rather than a teaming with Terence Hill. It was shot in Colombia and has an exotic look and feel. Big Bud plays a banana seller living in the sticks who finds a local mobster muscling in on his business, causing him to go into town for the first time in his life to sort things out. A fish-out-of-water comedy of errors ensues. This one follows the template of the usual Spencer/Hill pairings, with hilarious fight scenes, plenty of slapstick humour, the droll delivery of Spencer's lines, and overacting goons. It's bright and silly, lively and infantile at times; irresistable throughout.
Enjoyable, although generic, Spencer movie...
paul_haakonsen10 March 2024
Of course I was familiar with the 1982 movie "Banana Joe", as I had watched it in my childhood. However, I only very vaguely remember the movie, and thus I opted to sit down and watch it again here in 2024, as I was presented with the opportunity to do so.
Writers Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci, Steno and Carlo Pedersoli (Bud Spencer's actual name), put together an enjoyable script and storyline. Sure, one might argue that "Banana Joe" is an archetypical Bud Spencer movie, and right they are. But this form is what works and it is these types of movies that Bud Spencer made so well. So of course it was quite enjoyable to watch him in this 1982 action comedy from director Steno. It is a story that takes the audience wide and far as Banana Joe goes on quite an adventure.
Of course I was only familiar with Bud Spencer on the entire cast list. But it should be noted that the acting performances in the movie were generally good.
If you enjoy the old movies starring Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill, then you definitely will also like "Banana Joe" from director Steno.
My rating of "Banana Joe" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Writers Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci, Steno and Carlo Pedersoli (Bud Spencer's actual name), put together an enjoyable script and storyline. Sure, one might argue that "Banana Joe" is an archetypical Bud Spencer movie, and right they are. But this form is what works and it is these types of movies that Bud Spencer made so well. So of course it was quite enjoyable to watch him in this 1982 action comedy from director Steno. It is a story that takes the audience wide and far as Banana Joe goes on quite an adventure.
Of course I was only familiar with Bud Spencer on the entire cast list. But it should be noted that the acting performances in the movie were generally good.
If you enjoy the old movies starring Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill, then you definitely will also like "Banana Joe" from director Steno.
My rating of "Banana Joe" lands on a six out of ten stars.
This is a childhood movie that I only watched for nostalgic reasons.
Artemur10 August 2023
This movie has been in my mind for a while because I watched it when I was a little kid and I have fond memories of it, and because I found this movie very funny in my child mind, I decided to rewatch it after more than 30 years, and after I finished Banana Joe, I realized why I found it so funny when I was a child because this movie is so silly and dumb in every sense and only a 7-year-old child can find it funny.
When I was a child, my family had one television, and there was only one channel, so I had no choice other than Saturday cartoons. I remember this movie being frequently shown every Sunday, and it seemed fun, so I watched it. This movie was made in 1982, which is the year I was born, and I have to say its humor is not only terribly aged; it's also so juvenile and idiotic, and the editing is terribly done; unrelated scenes just merge with each other without any sense; all characters are basically cartoony caricatures or stereotypes, so actors played these characters with exaggerated manners; and the main character is big, burly, uncivilized, illiterate, and dumb as a rock banana seller. He didn't know his surname or his family; he didn't have an identification card, as an American, he also didn't know how he came to Colombia. Is he an illegal immigrant, or was he just born here? We just didn't know about this character. Plot, which is about a cartoony capitalistic dude who wants to build a factory Banana Joe's small village and our big hero tries to prevent his mission in some comedic situations and adventures are so silly and cheesy, there are also some pathetic attempts to create physical comedy, which only little kids can find funny and laugh at.
If you consider this movie a kid's movie, that's fine, but Banana Joe lasts more than 1:30 hours, so for an adult audience, it's just a waste of time. I just watched this movie for nostalgic purposes, and I don't regret spending time on this silly and stupid movie, despite the fact that I probably lost a few digits from my IQ. I also want to say that I love the exotic and tropical southern Colombian settings and catchy background music, but that's the only positive thing I can say about this outdated movie.
When I was a child, my family had one television, and there was only one channel, so I had no choice other than Saturday cartoons. I remember this movie being frequently shown every Sunday, and it seemed fun, so I watched it. This movie was made in 1982, which is the year I was born, and I have to say its humor is not only terribly aged; it's also so juvenile and idiotic, and the editing is terribly done; unrelated scenes just merge with each other without any sense; all characters are basically cartoony caricatures or stereotypes, so actors played these characters with exaggerated manners; and the main character is big, burly, uncivilized, illiterate, and dumb as a rock banana seller. He didn't know his surname or his family; he didn't have an identification card, as an American, he also didn't know how he came to Colombia. Is he an illegal immigrant, or was he just born here? We just didn't know about this character. Plot, which is about a cartoony capitalistic dude who wants to build a factory Banana Joe's small village and our big hero tries to prevent his mission in some comedic situations and adventures are so silly and cheesy, there are also some pathetic attempts to create physical comedy, which only little kids can find funny and laugh at.
If you consider this movie a kid's movie, that's fine, but Banana Joe lasts more than 1:30 hours, so for an adult audience, it's just a waste of time. I just watched this movie for nostalgic purposes, and I don't regret spending time on this silly and stupid movie, despite the fact that I probably lost a few digits from my IQ. I also want to say that I love the exotic and tropical southern Colombian settings and catchy background music, but that's the only positive thing I can say about this outdated movie.
Just your typical Italian banana saleman movie
cheekyfilm15 March 2022
Italo comedy about a simple burly banana salesman who gets into wacky situations while trying to obtain a license to sell bananas. Everything is over-the-top and Cheesy with a capital 'C' (and the crummy dubbing doesn't help matters). Very uneven movie that halfway kept my attention, made me laugh once or twice with it's cartoonish humor, but also had plenty of annoying moments. The song sequence in the middle, the sound effects, and the repeated 'Joe Blow' joke come to mind as especially awful. Even as background watching this fails for me, it's just so unbearably stupid... but at the same time I can see it having an audience.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
