Don't Drink the Water (1994 film)

Don't Drink the Water
DVD artwork
Genre	Comedy
Written by	Woody Allen
Directed by	Woody Allen
Starring	Woody Allen Mayim Bialik Michael J. Fox Dom DeLuise Julie Kavner Edward Herrmann
Narrated by	Ed Herlihy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	J.E. Beaucaire Jean Doumanian
Producer	Robert Greenhut
Cinematography	Carlo Di Palma
Editor	Susan E. Morse
Running time	92 minutes
Production companies	Jean Doumanian Productions Magnolia Productions Sweetland Films
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	December 18, 1994 (1994-12-18)

Don't Drink the Water is a 1994 American made-for-television comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, based on his 1966 play. This is the second filmed version of the play, after a 1969 theatrical version starring Jackie Gleason left Allen dissatisfied.^[1]

The story revolves around a family of American tourists (played by Allen, Julie Kavner, and Mayim Bialik) that gets trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Michael J. Fox plays the American ambassador's son.^[2]

This is the second time Allen wrote and performed in a movie made for television (Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story was filmed in 1971 but was never broadcast). The film was not well-received by critics.

Cast

• Woody Allen as Walter Hollander
• Julie Kavner as Marion Hollander
• Mayim Bialik as Susan Hollander
• Michael J. Fox as Axel Magee
• Dom DeLuise as Father Drobney
• Josef Sommer as Ambassador Magee
• Edward Herrmann as Mr. Kilroy
• Robert Stanton as Mr. Burns
• Rosemary Murphy as Miss Pritchard
• Austin Pendleton as Chef Oscar

Reception

Don't Drink the Water has a 44% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3] In 2016 film critics Robbie Collin and Tim Robey ranked it as one of the worst movies by Woody Allen.^[4]

Year-end lists

• Honorable mention – Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News^[5]

References

1. Ken Tucker (December 16, 1994). "Don't Drink the Water Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
2. Judd Blaise (2007). "Don-t-Drink-the-WaterShowtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
3. "Don't Drink the Water (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
4. "All 47 Woody Allen movies - ranked from worst to best". The Telegraph. October 12, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
5. Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2020.

External links

• Don't Drink the Water at IMDb