A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Director:

Charles Crichton

Writers:

John Cleese (story) and
Charles Crichton (story) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood.

Plot:

In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot.

Plot Keywords:

Stuttering | Lawyer | Barrister | Dropout | Lovers Posing As Siblings

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Cleese	...	Archie Leach
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Wanda Gershwitz
Kevin Kline	...	Otto
Michael Palin	...	Ken Pile
Maria Aitken	...	Wendy
Tom Georgeson	...	Georges Thomason
Patricia Hayes	...	Mrs. Coady
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Judge
Cynthia Cleese	...	Portia (as Cynthia Caylor)
Mark Elwes	...	Customer in Jeweler's Shop
Neville Phillips	...	Manager of Jeweler's Shop
Peter Jonfield	...	Inspector Marvin
Ken Campbell	...	Bartlett
Al Ashton	...	Warder
Roger Hume	...	Locksmith

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Italian | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:PG | Spain:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Ireland:15 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Clerkenwell Green, Clerkenwell, London, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

John Cleese has said in interviews that Patricia Hayes was the only cast member not to have any material deleted during editing.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time they mention George's address, it's Murray Avenue. All other times, it's Murray Road.

Quotes:

Otto: [to Archie] You spineless bimbo.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in What the Pythons Did Next... (2007) (TV)

One of the best (and most underrated) comedies of all time

Before I review this film, I want to mention that I've seen it about ten times and have yet to stop laughing at any of the jokes. This is one of the best written and acted comedies that I've ever seen. The plot is airtight, and the jokes are perfectly timed and delivered. This is due in large part to the spectacular cast of the film. Jamie Lee Curtis, Johh Cleese, Michael Palin, and my personal favorite Kevin Kline as Otto the moronic ex-CIA agent who's too stupid to realize that he's stupid. The film centers around the four aforementioned actors who are involved in a bank robbery, and the conniving and backstabbing by each that takes place afterwards. A large portion of the comedic material in this film comes from the mixture, or more precisely clash, of British and American cultures. Kevin Kline's portrayal of Otto the red-blooded American with entirely too much ego and confidence is contrasted perfectly by John Cleese's reserved and in Otto's words "sexually repressed" English gentleman who is too scared to go out and live his life. Jamie Lee Curtis is also great as the title character who is determined to back-stab and cross anyone and everyone in order to get what she wants. Finally, there's Michael Palin as Ken the hit-man/animal lover/severe stutterer who must kill a key witness in order to protect his boss. If there are any funnier scenes than the ones where Ken must kill this witness, I haven't seen them. Palin is absolutely brilliant, easily one of the best comedic performances ever. The film is close to 2 hours long, but the plot is so clever and well structured that it's over before you know it. To me, that is one of the trademarks of a great film. You don't want this movie to end, and you're disappointed when it does. Do yourself a favor and watch A Fish Called Wanda and you will wonder why you haven't seen (or in many cases even heard of) this film before.