10 Greatest Mockumentary Films Of All Time
7. Take The Money And Run
Woody Allen is good at a lot of things: stand-up
comedy, playing the clarinet and giving his kids dumb names to mention a few. But what
he’s really good at is making mockumentaries. Before there was Christopher
Guest, Allen was the master of this craft.
Following the life of Virgil Starkwell, a classical Allen protagonist and inept bank robber on who the world dumps all its sewage upon. Downtrodden, bullied and a perennial punching bag, Virgil remains upbeat in his discussions with the camera crew despite his many failings as a career criminal.
Typically old school Jewish zingers is where Woody Allen eats, from playing the cello in a marching band to escaping prison as part of a chain gang, Take the Money and Run has many endearing moments ripped straight from the Chaplin school of comedy writing.
Full of subtle light touches and tragic flaws, the mockumentary is the perfect format for Allen’s trademark quips and stylings; Take the Money and Run is an underrated gem from one of the great filmmakers of our time.