Take the Money and Run (1969) | (VHS) WS | Clamshell | Anchor Bay

**USA ONLY**

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Title: Take the Money and Run (1969)

Genre: Crime Comedy

Plot Synopsis
Virgil Starkwell grows from a shy, bullied child into a clumsy petty thief, his life chronicled in a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary style. After a string of bungled heists, he meets the gentle Louise and attempts to go straight, but his ineptitude keeps dragging him back into absurd and disastrous criminal schemes. From failed cello performances in marching bands to prison break attempts gone wrong, his misadventures paint a hilariously bleak portrait of a man forever one step behind success.

Cast and Crew

• Director: Woody Allen

• Writers: Woody Allen, Mickey Rose

• Cast:

  • Woody Allen as Virgil Starkwell

  • Janet Margolin as Louise

  • Marcel Hillaire as Fritz

  • Jacquelyn Hyde as Miss Blair

  • Lonny Chapman as Jake

IMDb Link: Take the Money and Run (1969) 

Reviews from Letterboxd

1. Nathan Wisnicki – ★★★☆☆
   “People know this one for being Woody’s first ‘vehicle’ (technically not his first film) and for what feels like exactly two gags: Woody trying to play cello in a marching band, and a chain gang trying to hide the fact that they’re shackled together. Given that those gags come respectively toward the very beginning and the very end of the movie, you’d think people would mention some of the rest, because there’s plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud stuff here. It certainly looks shaggier than any of his other movies.”

2. Ltrumani – ★★☆☆☆
   “me caia mal woody allen y despues de verla me sigue cayendo mal y por desgracia admito que es gracioso y su huella en la historia del cine es admirable pero lo hago a regañadientes.”
   (I disliked Woody Allen, and after watching this I still dislike him; unfortunately I admit it is funny and his footprint in film history is admirable—but I do so reluctantly.)

3. fullblue92 – ★★★☆☆
   “Editing for comedy — knows exactly when to cut away from a silly gag — the laugh, for me, often comes after (because of) the cut.”

4. shimajdpour – ★★★☆☆
   “Funny stuff.”

5. frankgfoot – ★★★★☆
   “One of those early Woody Allen films that perfectly balances absurd humor and character study. The mockumentary format feels way ahead of its time, and some of the one-liners are still gold today.”

Meta Description:
Woody Allen’s mockumentary classic following bumbling crook Virgil Starkwell through a lifetime of failed heists, prison breaks, and awkward romance in a sharp satire of crime documentaries.