Don't Drink the Water

Don't drink the water is a rarely recognized masterpiece by Woody Allen. Filled with unforgettable characters and a fabulous script, this film is a must see for any comedy loving person. In my opinion, the best characters were Mr and Mrs Hollander. Michael J. Fox also delivers with wit and charm. There is a tricky priest, a paranoid American chef with a gun, an overly oppsessive housewife who is constently waxing the floors of the diplomatic relations building,a crazy walter-hating chef who cannot make an American meal,a diplomat who got hit over the head and now believes that he is the wright brothers, and an Axel loving young woman who believes in fortune-tellers. This movie has everything.

Evidently, Woody Allen didn't like the original film of his script, so decided to star himself for a tv remake. It's the same story, but with a completely different look and 'feel'. Instead of an embassy in the middle of nowhere, this is more realistic--lots of people work there, and it is elegantly furnished. Allen is his usual frantic self, sometimes overshadowing every other character.

Michael J. Fox seems a bit miscast as the loser son of a diplomat in charge, and there isn't enough for Julie Kavner, as Allen's wife, to do but Dom DeLuise expands on the magician/monk role. It's really more of a filmed play, as all the action takes place in the embassy (no final chase scenes, no hotel scenes). This version is sillier, quicker than the original, andI actually like them both, but this one will appeal more to Allen fans.

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.

I have been recommending this movie to friends for ages, not knowing that they had no possible way of actually seeing it since for some reason it never came out on video. The earlier version (with Jackie Gleason leading the cast) is a poor substitute. It has some of the same jokes, but none of the wit. It also does not have the SOUNDTRACK which in the 1994 made-for-TV-version was a sublime showcase for some very hot Bulgarian tunes. (I am a folk dancer, so I know my Bulgarian music!) The Gleason version gets air time ten-twelve times a year on cable and regular TV, but the 1994 version does not. It may have been made for TV, but seemingly it never comes back to the TV. I know because I have been reading the TV guide every week for a year now looking for this movie(!)

I LOVE THIS MOVIE. The story involves visiting American smucks in the old communist Russia. A picture is snapped in the wrong spot and the KGB assumes the family are spys. They take up residence in an American embassy and need asylum. Love blossoms and tempers soar--an old fashioned screwball comedy. I know some people say it's not one of Woody's best...and it isn't. It isn't even close to the top of that list. But...I laugh my tush off with this movie. Alex Keaton and Blossom are great. Woody Allen is, well, Woody Allen. It is nothing but a popcorn movie. Flawed? Yes. It is very funny though and a great mid level Woody movie in the same vein as "Take the money and Run'--but with a plot. Watch it, enjoy it, laugh.