Going Bananas (1988)

Seeing as the other user comments don't really tell people what this movie actually is about, but only write about specific scenes and/or sequences, and/or their feelings about the movie, let me break down this movie for you with a quick summary, so you'll get the big picture:David Mendenhall (yes, the annoying little kid from Stallone's "Over The Top") is actually the star of this film, playing a rich man's son, Ben, who has gone to Africa with his caretaker "Big Bad Joe" (played by the late great Dom DeLuise from "Blazing Saddles" and "The Cannonball Run"). Joe is the guy who's in charge of taking good care of Ben, so he doesn't get into trouble, and his father doesn't get upset, but actually gets himself into even more trouble than Ben does. They arrive somewhere in Africa (in a made up country called Tongola), where they meet up with their local tour-guide Mozambo (played by Jimmie C. Walker from the TV-series "Good Times"). He takes them on a safari, where they happen to meet the talking monkey Bonzo (played by little man Deep Roy, who some might know from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as the oompa-loompas). Now, of course the two bad guys, Palermo the circus-owner (Warren Berlinger who also played Shaky Finch the motorcyclist in "The Cannonball Run" with DeLuise) and MacIntosh the military captain (played by Herbert Lom - Tigranes Levantus from "Spartacus") finds out, and wants to capture the monkey and use it for the circus, so they'll make a great profit on that world-sensation. Ben & co. then tries to escape and hide Bonzo, so he won't be trapped against his will...of course this is no easy task, and hilarity ensues.This is mainly a children's movie, as most grown-up's will find the humor too exaggerated and silly, but most children will probably love the silliness - and of course the talking monkey, befriending a young boy! Most kids will relate to this, and will soak up their friendship as being far-fetched, but really cool and awesome. I mean, what kid wouldn't want to be friends with a talking monkey!The only thing in this movie probably not suited for children, would be a somewhat frightening graphic scene where Ben falls into a gorge and gets attacked by hordes of scorpions after taking a fall.. with REAL scorpions crawling all over the small boy.. and then Bonzo rescues him by SMASHING the REAL scorpions to death with a huge club! I wonder what PETA would say to this.. hmm..Now, even though this movie is shot in Zimbabwe, it's not exactly "King Solomon's Mines", if you know what I mean.. directed by none other than Golan-Globus entertainment's finest producer Boaz Davidson, who has also brought us the following masterpieces: "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior", "Lunarcop", "Hospital Massacre", and writing the scripts for "Derailed", "Alien Hunter", "Mansquito" and "Delta Force 3: The Killing Game". You should know what to expect when watching this movie.Anyway, some of the highlights: A nun curses a lot. A silly french waiter gets a pie in the face. Two vintage cars crash the street-market and crash into the harbor. Dom DeLuise (or his double, rather) does a trapeze-act in the circus. The circus-owner spanks the monkey... with a whip...in front of a huge child-audience... who applaud and laugh.All in all, I found the first bit of the movie too silly for my taste, and thought about switching it off, but I bit the apple and saw it all the way through, which was a good decision, as the last part actually had some decent dramatic elements and some quite impressive stunt-work.6/10 - perhaps a bit much, but I had to consider the fact that this movie was probably aimed at kids, who will probably love Bonzo & co.

When my brother and I were little, we had a few movies that we would watch over and over and over again until we had them memorized because as far as we were concerned, they were the best, and "Going Bananas" was definitely one of them. By now he's outgrown it, but for me there is no getting past it, I love this movie. Not only is it an enjoyable story of a boy, Ben, touring Africa and making friends with a talking monkey (who can be more trouble than he's worth sometimes), but it's also hysterical to see the monkey pick on Big Bad Joe and get away with it. There is a bit of a graphic scene where Ben gets attacked by scorpions after taking a fall, but aside from that, it's an excellent movie for kids. If you enjoy a good laugh (and there's plenty to be found in this movie), I would highly recommend seeing "Going Bananas",

I must admit: I only caught the last 5 minutes on HBO, but from what I could see, it appeared to not only be one of the greatest films cinema has ever borne witness to in all of human history, but the greatest film cinema has ever borne witness to in all of history by about a trillion times the next closest movie. I was thoroughly entertained,and I felt a special link to the comedic monkey: his tears, and his triumphs. The classic elements of great cinema were all present: inept monkey-nabbers, emotional drama, boy/monkey love, and, of course, a melon-lobbing money named Bonzo. To reiterate: wowie zowie. Wowie zowie.

"Going Bananas" is one of the worst comedies ever made. It has not one laugh in it. Not one. At all! It just meanders on endlessly for 95 minutes and goes nowhere. I've seen "ER" episodes with more laughs than this.What a waste of comic talent. This has Dom DeLuise ("The 12 Chairs", "Blazing Saddles" "Silent Movie"), Jimmy Walker ("Good Times) and Herbert Lom (Dreyfus from "The Pink Panther" series). You might ask me, "Bill, how can a film with those three be bad?" Watch this movie and find out.They don't even take advantage of the premise: a safari. I'm sure there are many comic possiblities in this. But a safari film can also be a thrilling adventure like Cornel Wilde's great "The Naked Prey". "Going Bananas" fails on that level also. The most threatening thing that happens in this: a chase in the circus. OOOOHHHH! I'M SCARED!"Going Bananas" was apparently so bad that it wasn't even released theatrically. Instead, it was released straight to tape. I'm not sure which is worse: charging people $5 or $20 to view this travesty. Even worse than that were the ads: quotes (supposedly) from children who have viewed the film. Brother, they must have been on Ritalin because any normal child would hate this, just like my family did. Roger Ebert often says that a bad movie should be cut up into something the poor can use. My suggestion for "Going Bananas": could be useful to even out short legs on a table or stool.no stars out of 4 stars