Truly Dreadful Film

Really Surprised!

As Good As It Gets

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This film stands out in my memory of films on this subject or from that time period. Set on a fictional Caribbean island owned by Britain but largely left to its own devices, it centres around the discovery of a lucrative resource - the Water of the title - and the reaction to this of various people on the island and other countries. Colonialism, revolution, big business, reggae, cannabis, lovely weather, principles vs. greed and marital infidelity all feature. It is unusually honest and even-handed about the politics in such situations, yet never loses sight of the comedy, which ranges through satire, character comedy and slapstick.Scripted by the well-known British comedy writing team of Clement and La Frenais, and directed by Clement, it was made by Handmade Films, overseen by George Harrison, and it's therefore not a coincidence that George turns up at one point in the film with a load of his rock mates to support the islanders' cause. Several big British acting names feature, notably Caine and Rossiter, with the addition of Fulton Mackay, Eddie Grant, Maureen Lipman as a scarily accurate Thatcher, plus Americans Fred Gwynne (Munsters) as the Texan oil tycoon and Ruby Wax as one of his staff. Interestingly Paul Heiney as the mercenary Kessler was performing the role as part of his involvement in BBC series "In at the Deep End", in which he had to take on a different job each episode.Water has its fair share of silliness, weak acting, discontinuity etc. but it doesn't really matter as it keeps you entertained throughout while still referencing the serious issues. It has a fun tone and looked like it was fun to make, evident in the street dancing at the end. I do recommend this film if you haven't seen it already, it's unlikely to disappoint.

This is one of the most entertaining "lost movies" ever made. The wit, humor, sarcasm, dialogue are what entertainment is all about. The plot lines in the film are well interrelated ... there is the Politics within the United Kingdom, the "then" threat of communism and Cuba, the motivated French mercenaries ... there is the greedy business theme with the evil Spenco (headed by none other than Herman Munster (Fred Gwyne) ... and the religious theme with the questionable behavior of the spiritual leader of the island.My favorite line is the description of how England must view Cascara as the dot above the "i" in the word "sh*t". With the exception to some very direct references to smoking marijuana and some sexual inuendo ... this is a great movie for almost everyone. It is a little history lesson for everyone who can't remember the Falklands - and its a reminder of the early/mid 1980's for the rest of us.

Comedy is considered as a lesser genre by certain people, which may explain why this movie is sometimes considered as one of the worst Michael Caine did. But Water is fun and smart, and how many comedies have these two qualities? For sure, the story is far-fetched, sometimes silly, but it's deliberately silly. It just doesn't take itself seriously, despite the "political messages" in the background and the tongue-in-cheek view of British post-colonial era. Production values are good, pace is sustained, interpretation is dynamic but never crosses the red line of buffoonery. What more can you expect from a comedy? If you come across it on cable TV or in video, give it a chance, it is certainly not the disaster some people claim it is. And if you're in the right mood then, you even may find it damn cool.

This film is a very funny political satire, with many well-aimed (even though, at times, rather too obvious) digs at the politics (and politicians) of the 80's. Although it is not in the league of Dr.Strangelove in terms of satiric black humour, it doesn't really try to be. The jokes are at times hilarious, and in most cases delightful in an old-fashioned comedy way. It is a lot looser in its structure and has a very easygoing pace that helps the satire along. Most of the political satire works even today (which makes one think if things have changed all that much in the past 15 years). Both Michael Caine and Billy Connolly are very funny, while being supported by a cast of relatively unknown but excellent comic actors. All in all, it was a very satisfying comedy that had me laughing out loud in almost every scene.