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 |
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.
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]
Heywood Allen is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many accolades, including the most nominations (16) for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He has won four Academy Awards, ten BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for a Emmy Award and a Tony Award. Allen was awarded an Honorary Golden Lion in 1995, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1997, an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2002, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2014. Two of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen and produced by Charles H. Joffe from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman. Allen co-stars as a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl but falls in love with his best friend's mistress. Meryl Streep and Anne Byrne also star.
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American actress. Before becoming well-known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, Kavner attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister of Valerie Harper's title character in the sitcom Rhoda, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also voices other characters for The Simpsons, including Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, sisters Patty and Selma Bouvier, and half-step-great-aunt Eunice Bouvier.
Hollywood Ending is a 2002 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also plays the principal character. It tells the story of a once-famous film director who suffers hysterical blindness due to the intense pressure of directing.
Anything Else is a 2003 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, produced by Letty Aronson, and starring Allen, Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, and Christina Ricci. The film premiered as the opening night selection of the 60th Venice International Film Festival. It was released theatrically in the United States on September 19, 2003, to mixed reviews.
Mayim Chaya Bialik is an American actress, author and former game show host. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom Blossom. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2017. Bialik shared hosting duties of Jeopardy! with Ken Jennings on a rotating basis between August 2021 and December 2023.
Shadows and Fog is a 1991 American black-and-white comedy film directed by Woody Allen and based on his one-act play Death (1975). It stars Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Kathy Bates, David Ogden Stiers, Jodie Foster, Donald Pleasence, Lily Tomlin, John Cusack, Madonna, and Kenneth Mars. It was filmed on a 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) set at Kaufman Astoria Studios, which was the biggest set ever built in New York. It was also Allen's last film for Orion Pictures.
Radio Days is a 1987 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a nostalgic look at the golden age of radio during the late 1930s and 1940s, focusing on a working-class family living in Rockaway Beach, New York. The film weaves together various vignettes, blending the lives of the family members with the radio programs they listen to daily. It also features an ensemble cast.
Woody Allen has acted in, directed, and written many films starting in the 1960s. His first film was the 1965 comedy What's New Pussycat?, which featured him as both writer and performer. Feeling that his New Yorker humor clashed with director Clive Donner's British sensibility, he decided to direct all future films from his own material. He was unable to prevent other directors from producing films based on previous stage plays of his to which he had already sold the film rights, notably 1972's successful film Play it Again, Sam from the 1969 play of the same title directed by Herbert Ross.
Scenes from a Mall is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Roger L. Simon, and starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen. The title is a play on Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, and the film itself features similar themes of marital disintegration.
CyberWorld is a 2000 American 3D animated anthology film shown in IMAX and IMAX 3D, presented by Intel. Several segments originally filmed in 2-D were converted to 3-D format by IMAX. As presented on its website, it was labelled the first 3D animated film in IMAX.
I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter. The film starred Nick Nolte and Whittni Wright, with supporting roles filled by Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Joely Richardson and Tracey Ullman.
The Cowboy Way is a 1994 American action comedy western film directed by Gregg Champion and starring Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland.
Cassandra's Dream is a 2007 crime thriller drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Shot in England, the film is a co-production between the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Trapped in Paradise is a 1994 American Christmas-themed crime comedy film written and directed by George Gallo and starring Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz, and Dana Carvey.
Don't Drink the Water is a play written by Woody Allen that premiered on Broadway in 1966. The farce takes place inside an American Embassy behind the Iron Curtain. Although Allen contributed material for the 1960 Broadway musical revue From A to Z, this was his first professionally produced play. The play was described as being "near the hit line", "one big overfed American folk joke" and "a very funny situation comedy" by critic Otis L. Guernsey.
Don't Drink the Water is a 1969 American comedy film starring Jackie Gleason and Estelle Parsons. It is directed by Howard Morris and based upon a 1966 play Don't Drink the Water by Woody Allen. The supporting cast includes Ted Bessell and Joan Delaney.
Holy Matrimony is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring Patricia Arquette and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film tells the story of a beautiful thief, hiding in a small, isolated Hutterite community, who marries a young boy in order to retrieve a hidden fortune following the death of her boyfriend, who was also the older brother of her current husband. It was the final feature film directed by Nimoy.
As They Made Us is a 2022 American drama film written, directed and produced by Mayim Bialik, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Julian Gant, Charlie Weber and Justin Chu Cary. The plot follows Abigail (Agron) and the last moments that she and her family spend with her dying father (Hoffman). It was released in theaters and on video on demand by Quiver Distribution on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews from critics.
Woody Allen: A Documentary is a 2011 documentary television miniseries directed by Robert B. Weide about the comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen. It premiered as part of the American Masters series on PBS. The film covers Allen's career as a standup comedian, sitcom writer, film director, and film auteur. At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received two nominations: for Outstanding Documentary Series and for Directing for a Documentary Program.