Nice effects though.

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Am I Missing Something?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Don't Drink the Water is a super funny, cool, and brilliant film by the genius Woody Allen. My kids and I love it! We've watched it like 100 times! The music is amazing, the plot is great, the writing is, as always, amazing, and the casting is spectacular: Woody, Julie Kavner, Michael J. Fox, Dom DeLuise (who is HILARIOUS), and Mayim Bialik. A super cool movie about the Cold War. If you didn't see it yet, watch it ASAP. A real gem not very well known by the amazing Woody Allen.

You have no idea how much it pains me to allege that Woody Allen has such a poorly directed film attributed to him, but, that is exactly what one can expect from Don't Drink the Water. The plot is listless, the camera constantly feels miles away from its subject and the film itself drags which is quite a feat when it's only 90 minutes. I know, it was only a television film but Woody is such a master I still expected more. I did enjoy the many nods to the Marx Brothers, and will always enjoy seeing Woody Allen in one of his films.

Woody Allen's 1994 remake of "Don't Drink the Water" is an absolutely perfect comedy. This film was made 25 years after the awful 1969 original was made and watching both back to back, it is quite a revelation.I really hated the previous film, which starred Jackie Gleason. It made the deadly mistake of taking the premise too seriously. Silly comedies are not supposed to be taken seriously! Also, the 1969 film added about 19 minutes of filler that wasn't in the original play. Allen's film begins with the family already in the American embassy. The crime: Woody Allen takes a picture of a landmark in an Iron Curtain country and is mistaken for a spy. I won't reveal anymore of the story because it is so dependent on surprise.Everything works in this version. Allen himself stars in the Gleason role and his neurotic personality is a much better fit for the character. Julie Kavner plays his wife and has a much better part than Estelle Parsons did in the first film. The wife is NOT an annoying airhead, but a strongwilled woman and that is welcome. Michael J. Fox is the politican who tries to save the family and he is wonderful in the role. Dom DeLuise is cast as a lunatic priest who wants to be a magician.Allen's script is funny because it is tongue in cheek. It plays on the standard conventions of hostage picures. Also, Allen likes to play with the plot in interesting ways and take all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. In his best films ("Purple Rose of Cairo", "Sleeper", "Small Time Crooks", "Zelig" to name a few), that is why they're so good.Now on video after a long battle over rights, "Don't Drink the Water" is everything the original wanted to be but wasn't: a hilarious comic masterpiece. Rent or buy this version now. The 1969 version isn't on video anymore and hopefully it will stay that way.**** out of 4 stars

For those who are familiar with Allen's work, this TV adaptation of the play will be no surprise: it's funny, well-timed and far superior to the miserable Jackie Gleason version (done before Woody had the clout to insist on filming it himself). TV regulars Michael J. Fox and Mayim Bialik play to their strengths (although I would have preferred Cusack and Danes, or other Woody regulars - I can't imagine these two were his first choice), and Allen and Kavner pick up where Oedipus Wrecks lets off. Not fantastic, but what do you want? It's TV.