Rating: 
Summary: DO buy this movie!
Review: Don't Drink the Water is hysterical! I am a huge Woody Allen Fan and have seen nearly all of his movies. There are some movies by Woody that even I'm not that fond of BUT.....this is not one of them. This movie is entertaining and well cast. There is a lot going on and everytime I watch it I find something different that gets me going! Buy this movie and keep an eye on the subtleties. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: DO buy this movie!
Review: Don't Drink the Water is hysterical! I am a huge Woody Allen Fan and have seen nearly all of his movies. There are some movies by Woody that even I'm not that fond of BUT.....this is not one of them. This movie is entertaining and well cast. There is a lot going on and everytime I watch it I find something different that gets me going! Buy this movie and keep an eye on the subtleties. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Another Woody Allen Classic
Review: In the TV-movie version of Allen's phenomenally funny play, a host of wonderful cast-members make this a delightful film. Allen and Kavner are funny, as usual, playing a bickering couple on the run. A pleasent surprise in this film is Dom DeLuise's comedic performance as the "in-house" priest at the embassy. His ill-timed magic tricks and Eastern European accent made the movie! Now that it has finally made the trip from the small screen to the video market, I highly recommend this innoxious film.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious, Laugh-Out-Loud Movie!!
Review: Let me preface this review by saying that I have NEVER been a Woody Allen fan. I had seen some of his earlier movies and just never got into them. However, I got hold of a copy of "Manhattan Murder Mystery" with Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Angelica Huston and, of course, Woody. I have just about worn it out because I've watched it over and over. I went to the video store and browsed through their Woody Allen titles and saw "Don't Drink the Water". I decided to give it a try since I like Dom Deloise, Julie Kavner and Michael J. Fox. Let me tell you, there are very few movies I see that make me truly laugh out loud - this one did. The entire premise of the movie is so funny. Woody takes his wife and daughter on a vacation to Russia (who goes to Russia for a vacation!?!), does the usual tourist routine, and ends up being chased by KGB agents because they think Woody and family are spies! Woody was taking pictures of the sunset and he must have photographed something that would make the agents think he was spying. Anyway, Woody and family take off running and go to the American Embassy in Russia to seek asylum. And believe me, the place is an asylum. Michael J. is the son of the Ambassador. The Ambassador has to return to Washington, D.C. and reluctantly leaves the embassy in Michael J.'s hands (Michael has been pretty much a screw-up all of his life) so his father doesn't trust him. As soon as Woody and family reach the embassy the fun begins. There is an Italian priest, played by Dom Deloise, who had to seek asylum at the embassy and has been there for years. He's really into magic tricks and thinks he's a real pro. The embassy chef cooks all kinds of exotic foods that drive Woody nuts (Woody is a New Jersey caterer) and Woody and the chef have an ongoing battle. The daughter falls for Michael J., the mother, Julie Kavner, ends up taking over the housekeeping at the embassy, a visiting Middle Eastern dignitary arrives and...just watch this movie! There is so much I can't begin to tell it all but trust me if you like just good old fashioned comedy you'll enjoy this. I highly recommend it - that's why I came to Amazon to find a copy because you can't find it at local video stores to buy. Every time I watch it I see something that sets me off laughing. If this movie does not make you laugh you have a serious problem with your funnybone!!
Rating:
Summary: DO buy this movie!
Review: OK, so I didn't actually watch the whole thing, and maybe (just maybe) it got better at the end... but I just couldn't take it anymore! If what Woody was going for was a chaotic mess then he succeeded. It was filmed partially as a docu-comedy with a narrator and hand held camera (reminiscent of "Take the Money and Run), but without the character interviews. This shaky camera technique is difficult to watch, limits the possible shots, and detracts from your ability to "suspend disbelief." Am I supposed to think there's a guy there with a camera filming reality? If so, why don't the people notice it or talk to it? It would have been better filmed as the Broadway play it was written to be.But that's just the start of the problems... This movie lacked any sense of comedic timing! It was almost as if there had been no rehearsals at all (more of the docu-comedy technique?). Woody overpowered everyone in every scene he was in. Michael J. Fox looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to do or say next, but struggled along like a trooper trying not to do an impersonation of Woody Allen. Unlike Miyam Bialack, who showed she could stretch from playing "Blossom" by playing a female version of Woody. By the way, she also looked far too young for the role. Julie Kavner is always good, but there really wasn't anything for her to do but talk on the phone. And I was just embarrassed for Dom DeLouise who appeared to be adlibbing over the top while everyone around him tried to ignore him.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Drink the Water...and don't watch this movie!
Review: OK, so I didn't actually watch the whole thing, and maybe (just maybe) it got better at the end... but I just couldn't take it anymore! If what Woody was going for was a chaotic mess then he succeeded. It was filmed partially as a docu-comedy with a narrator and hand held camera (reminiscent of "Take the Money and Run), but without the character interviews. This shaky camera technique is difficult to watch, limits the possible shots, and detracts from your ability to "suspend disbelief." Am I supposed to think there's a guy there with a camera filming reality? If so, why don't the people notice it or talk to it? It would have been better filmed as the Broadway play it was written to be. But that's just the start of the problems... This movie lacked any sense of comedic timing! It was almost as if there had been no rehearsals at all (more of the docu-comedy technique?). Woody overpowered everyone in every scene he was in. Michael J. Fox looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to do or say next, but struggled along like a trooper trying not to do an impersonation of Woody Allen. Unlike Miyam Bialack, who showed she could stretch from playing "Blossom" by playing a female version of Woody. By the way, she also looked far too young for the role. Julie Kavner is always good, but there really wasn't anything for her to do but talk on the phone. And I was just embarrassed for Dom DeLouise who appeared to be adlibbing over the top while everyone around him tried to ignore him.
Rating:
Summary: A little uneven, but many hilarious moments
Review: Somehat uneven and not as tight in terms of plot as many other Allen films -- basically more of a setup (wacky family seeking asylum in embassy) to let the jokes roll -- but many laugh-out-loud moments and gags. I often find Dom DeLuise to be just too much, but here he shows a little restraint and gets the priest character just right. His "priest" has a network of intelligence behind him, & he telephones them with "subtle" coded messages such as, "The boy with the blue hair is fondling a chipmunk." He also performs some of the best magic routines I've ever seen; best because they are so hilariously stupid. ROFLMAO to see him giving the tricks away either as he's performing them or immediately afterward, when he casually put down the "secret" prop or whatever in plain view.
Great laughs, easy to watch -- Allen gives us one of his lowbrow characters rather than his intellectual neurotic types.
Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Woody Allen for the masses
Review: This 1994 TV movie released to video in late 2000 tells an inane tale of a Jewish American family that, while vacationing in Russia, is mistaken for a ring of spies during the height of the cold war in the 1960's. This is the story of their exploits as they are holed up in the American Embassy waiting for their chance to return to the U.S. The story was written and directed by Woody Allen, who is one of the most accomplished auteurs in the history of film. It is clear that Allen purposely dumbed this screenplay down for TV. Instead of his trademark cerebral humor that cuts like a scalpel, he uses a machine gun approach, hitting the viewer with a fusillade of lowbrow jokes and slapstick gags. The humor ranges from insipid silliness to standard sitcom fare with occasional intellectual ironies thrown in for his devoted fans. Though most of it is infantile, the sheer volume of material (literally five to ten jokes and gags a minute) insures that something will tickle you every couple of minutes. The cast is rich with accomplished comedic talent. Michael J. Fox plays the son of an ambassador who is a hapless diplomat in training. His frenetic and tortured style of comedy is perfect for this role. Dom DeLuise adds his wacky brand of humor as a priest who has been in hiding in the embassy for six years and is trying to learn to be an amateur magician. For him, the extra inhabitants of the embassy represent a captive audience on whom he can inflict one botched magic trick after another. Julie Kavner brings her whiny New York accent and her wonderful sense of sarcastic timing to play off Woody Allen's inimitably overwrought caricature of himself. Kavner is a refreshing change for Allen. We are used to seeing him across from flaky wimps played by Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow. The use of the bluntly badgering Kavner added significant energy to his performance. The cast is rounded out by Mayim Bialik (TV's, Blossom) who was decent, but not great as the Jewish American Princess in captivity. Overall, this was a good comedy that was significantly below Woody Allen's standard. There are plenty of funny lines, but it is a much too farcical. I rated it a 6/10. If you enjoy Woody Allen's normal introspective and intellectual humor, this might be a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: DO buy this movie!
Review: This movie is hysterical! I am a huge Woody Allen Fan and have seen nearly all of his movies. There are some movies by Woody that even I'm not that fond of BUT.....this is not one of them. This movie is entertaining and well cast. There is a lot going on and everytime I watch it I find something different that gets me going! Buy this movie and keep an eye on the subtleties.....you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: An Allen throwback to the good old days
Review: What kind of Woody Allen fan are you? Do you favor his heavy, drama-laden homages to Bergman? His film noir? His zany early comedies? If you love the latter, you'll probably like this "lost" gem. A bit like "Manhattan Murder Mystery" which was resurrected years after it was written, "Don't Drink the Water" conjures the early days of Allen's career with zany comedy full of larger than life characters and over-the-top performances. The cast is great, the script is too, the plot moves along nicely and in general I had great fun. Yes, it seems a bit claustrophobic at times and a bit stagey, but many of Allen's recent work has a similar feel regardless of the genre. All in all it is an enjoyable farce that harkens back to the golden days of Allen's comic genius.
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