Directed by Woody Allen • 1971 • United States
Starring Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalbán
Writer-director Woody Allen’s supremely silly third feature channels the absurdity of the Marx brothers for a side-splitting satire of Cold War politics and American imperialism. He stars as bumbling New York City product tester Fielding Mellish, who, after he’s jilted by his activist girlfriend (Louise Lasser), heads to the tiny Latin American republic of San Marcos for vacation—only to wind up becoming the unwitting leader of a political revolution. Among the highlights: legendary sports announcer Howard Cosell delivering a honeymoon-night bedroom “play-by-play” and an uncredited appearance from a pre-stardom Sylvester Stallone as a subway thug.
Up Next in Fun City: NYC Woos Hollywood, Flirts with Disaster
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Norman Mailer vs. Fun City
Directed by Dick Fontaine • 1970 • United States
Writer and firebrand provocateur Norman Mailer, accompanied by rabble-rousing journalist Jimmy Breslin, takes to the streets of New York City in his colorful and ultimately failed 1969 run for New York City mayor.