AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Parker Lewis I'm more a fan of Woody Allen's movies such as Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Crimes and Misdemeanors, but I still liked Take the Money and Run. I'd say that it has one of the funniest scenes in movie history! I really laughed out loud (before LOL was an internet invention) when Woody's character and his prison posse attempt an escape all shackled up. This is a masterpiece of acting, editing, and directing. This has to be screened to any acting masterclass. If drama is hard, then really comedy is harder. I wish they had more scenes like this in modern day movies.

sharky_55 Take the Money and Run was one of the first mockumentaries to be widely released. Again and again we go back to the parents' talking heads and their Groucho Marx masks, because they are so ashamed of their son's crimes that they dare not show their faces. This is, like Ebert notes, mildly funny the first time and less so with each revisit as they continually bicker and fight (one notable exception is when the narrator interrupts them himself and orders them to get to the point - a sure jab at the tendency for many of these talking heads to waffle on and on). Another aspect of the mockumentary is the brooding voice- over narration that is full of self-seriousness and self-importance. It presents Virgil as an infamous outlaw, not quite Bonnie and Clyde, but nevertheless iconic enough to have a documentary made about his life and crimes. Throughout the film, we keep expecting that the story will build to some monumental, historical point, some crazed crime of infamy, but it doesn't. The story is like his life; a deflated, missed punchline. Most stories have the protagonists wavering from their morality and considering breaking bad and descending into a life of crime, if only to survive. Virgil is not like most protagonists. He does the opposite - so many times he is nearly tempted to go straight, to give up crime and find a nice, honest job. Suffice to say he fails at that too. A lot of the film's comedy is drawn from Allen's stand- up tendencies. So as the jokes come thick and fast we have less interesting visuals on the screen. That is not to say that they are not funny. One of his bank robberies fails because his handwriting is too messy and the characters debate endlessly on his real meaning - he is then told to go through the proper bank hold-up procedures. His spars with his wife are particularly inspired; one argument mixes the usual domestic pains (laundry mix-ups, hogging the bathroom) with the occasion of a big group score. Another has him innocently desiring a tie instead of a newborn child. In a classic bait and switch, Virgil falls head over heels in love with her at first sight, and then decides not to rob her, in that exact order. And there are humorous visual gags too. A favourite of Virgil's is to fiddle endlessly with Louise's clothes, but never successfully remove them (one instance has him stage a blow by blow re-enactment of the usual wordless romantic surprise from behind). An early one throws him, a seated cello player, into a marching band, fighting the ever probing urge of whether to play another note or keep dragging his chair along. Poor Virgil. His music mentor recounts that he could not even become proficient at the instrument: "He blew into it". This is pretty damning if you are playing the trumpet or clarinet, and absolutely catastrophic if you are playing the cello. There is an extended gag where Virgil is chained up with several other prisoners; this makes for many funny situations, particularly as they shuffle forwards and waddle around trying to appease a policeman, who tells them to each check a different window in the house, and as Virgil tries to have a private conversation with his wife. Try as he like, Virgil cannot seem to get away from his destiny.

Hitchcoc This is neurosis personified. Woody plays a small-time thief who can do nothing right. He is thrown in prison when he screws up the note that he gives to the teller at a bank. There is a bologna stain that makes "gun" look like "gub." Now we are in for a ride as he tries to negotiate prison. At one point he carves a gun out of a bar of soap and uses shoe polish to make it look more real. Of course, he tries his prison break during a rainstorm and ends up with a hand full of suds. There are numerous scenes like this as the poor schmuck tries to lead a life of crime and fails at every juncture. Allen's great talent is that he takes routine movie clichés and creates a what if? Simply, what if this goes horribly wrong. Woody usually lands on his feet and probably owes that to the similar humor of Charlie Chaplain. This is certainly worth a look, though it is uneven, he puts forth and interesting character study.

darad Before we got introduced to movies with the brand of humor like "Blazing Saddles" or "Airplane!" there was "Take The Money and Run." As reviewed by others in documentary style it follows the bumbling life of "Virgil Stalkwell," played flawlessly by Woody Allen. I absolutely love this movie and it has always been a favorite. It has so many funny scenes that you really have to watch it a few times to catch everything as you're not done laughing at one thing before they throw something else at you.I've read some negative reviews here but the majority are like me and think it's a Woody Allen classic. You have to like Woody Allen to appreciate the movie to its fullest. Personally, I think it's his best, before he got stuck in New York, not that there's anything wrong with that. Made with a storyline like prison classics of "Cool Hand Luke" it's a must-see side-splitter about a bumbling wannabe famous criminal who's sent to prison, but the whole movie doesn't stay there. Don't expect some deep plotted movie that follows any rules, it's made for laughs and that's what you get plenty of. It's great to have comedies that stay comedies. It's still played well by the entire cast and I love the music, especially the theme by Marvin Hamlisch. So take a break and enjoy a funny movie that puts you in a good mood. You don't have to be a hardcore Allen fan but if you are one (as I am) you'll love it even more.