We're not talking about monsters of the deep here. It's In the Water is set in the imaginary town of Azalea Springs, Texas, where the community is blighted by wealth and smugness and where the greatest crime is not to fit in--and that includes being gay. When the outrageous and fearless Spencer (John Hallum, camping it up) playfully lets on that there's something in the water supply that encourages homosexuality, the temperature of local gossip rises as fast as the sales of bottled water. Kelli Herd, in her directorial debut, aims to cast scorn on such phobic behaviour by sending up the straight guys and idealising the gays.

Thus we have our central character, Alex (Keri Jo Chapman), whose life consists of lunches and charitable works, and who is married to Robert, a cold Action Man lookalike (and about as plastic in his acting skills). It's enough of a scandal when she gets enthusiastic about working in the local AIDS hospice, but when she has a lesbian fling with an old school friend, Grace (Teresa Garrett), who has returned to town, freshly divorced after discovering her true leanings, then even Alex's own mother--a complete nightmare of a woman--turns against her.

The movie does have occasional witticisms, but it's too clich??-ridden and too sanitised (dying of AIDS was never this pretty) to do more than raise an occasional grim smile. Yes, there's a serious message underlying the film, but it would have needed more plot, stronger dialogue and less histrionic play-acting to give it true power.

On the DVD: It's In the Water has only the most basic additional features: two trailers for similarly themed movies, but no subtitles or additional languages. The picture quality is bright and sharp, sparing us no detail in the Versace-inspired interiors and relentlessly garish mode of dress favoured by Azalea Springs inmates. --Harriet Smith

I watched this film twice. And I have to be honest and say that the second time round it ranked higher. Now I was reading from a previous reviewer that this film was done on a low budget.
Well they did a good job. At first it may seem a so sweetishly fairy-like film but if you pay attention there are a few messages underneath it all. They may not have represented actual real life situations (at least one presumes) but some of the situations described in the film are not so far away from everyday life and people's misconceptions.
Maybe in real life people are harsher and circumstances can have a sourer aftertaste.

this is a deliciously gentle and pretty film which just doesn't deserve the heavy critique laid upon it by a couple of previous reviewers. Just chill and enjoy this gem - the main female star is utterly beautiful by the way

I have a little bit of a soft spot for this film. It's one of the first gay-themed films I saw and yes, I will agree with other reviewers that it's not exactly the deepest film ever - it's light, fluffy, and utterly inconsequential, and not without its flaws, but its heart is in the right place and I can't help liking it...

One thing to note about "It's In The Water" was that it was made for a very small budget. That's why there are no big or even half well-known names in the cast, and yes there is some quite dodgy acting in places! It's also why, well, not to put too fine a point on it, it's also why everything looks so cheap...

There are also a few other problems: a man dying in an Aids hospice who barely looks ill at all; occasional bad editing and camera angles; a few of the "punchlines" falling decidedly flat; a few lines that are just plain embarrassing and that will make you squirm!

Despite all this, there are some positives to this film. As I say, it has a good little heart: there's a lot of positivity here, mixed in with just a bit of angst. And the film has parallel love stories between two lesbians, and two gay men (although the lesbian storyline very much conforms to type, with one previously heterosexual woman being "converted" by her lesbian friend, blah blah blah, you know the drill), rather than being a strictly "lesbian" or "gay" film.

All in all, no, it won't change the world, but it's an entertaining little flick - quite flawed, but I like it, all the same - it has a sense of fun.

Bought this DVD a few months ago, not knowing if the film was even "watchable".
It was a surprise, the film is really OK!!!
I can't tell you how many of my friends have borrowed the DVD from me and it is a MUST in all our parties.
Of course you can't expect it to be an Oscar winner but the characters are well built and the stereotypes are fab: Americans joking about American conservative stupidity - ABS FAB!!

An endearing tale of two women who awake to one another: and two men who come to accept themselves. The humor is wrapped in the witty writing of Kelly Herd, who spares nothing in poking fun of the stereotypical American southern. Being one, I related to the characters and found myself chucking aloud. I have met so many of the movies personas in my little backwards southern hometown that I need only change the names and I would be home.