Don't Drink the Water

What compelled notorious TV-phobe Woody Allen to direct and star in this small-screen adaptation of his 1966 Broadway play is something of a mystery, but time has not been kind to this Cold War farce, which already inspired one failed screen adaptation starring Jackie Gleason. Don't Drink the Water does sport a good cast, though, with Allen and The Simpsons Julie Kavner starring as the Hollanders, a New Jersey couple who vacation behind the Iron Curtain and are accused of being spies. With their daughter (Mayim "Blossom" Bialik) in tow, they take refuge in the American embassy, which has been left in the hands of the ambassador's incompetent son. A pre-"Spin City" Michael J. Fox is the hapless diplomat (after two weeks in Brazil, he had the Brazilians importing coffee!) who only aggravates the international incident. Dom DeLuise also appears as a refugee priest and amateur magician. This harks back to Allen's "earlier, funnier" films, but like the kvetching and bickering Hollanders, it soon wears out its welcome. The dated premise requires a laborious set-up, and Allen's hand-held camera style is all wrong. Not recommended. (K. Lee Benson)