A Fish Called Wanda
MGM/UA Distribution Company | Release Date: July 29, 1988
8.4
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 152 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
134
Mixed:
11
Negative:
7
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10
kangoAug 12, 2010
This is a very well written and often very funny film which doesn't let-up for a second. Cleese, Palin, Kline and Lee-Curtis are magnificent as Precarious, Sexy, Disconnected and Chaotic (you can probably match them up if you've never seenThis is a very well written and often very funny film which doesn't let-up for a second. Cleese, Palin, Kline and Lee-Curtis are magnificent as Precarious, Sexy, Disconnected and Chaotic (you can probably match them up if you've never seen this film before). The fact that two are American and two are English gives the film a clashing, tasty quality that I can't remember seeing anywhere else. Though never all in the same room at the same time, they all rub up against each other at some point in brilliantly positioned scenes that frequently have me in stitches. The roots of this film come from the old English comedies of the 1950's but this is firmly set in the 1980's within the very ordinary and everyday. This all adds to the charm beneath the madness. Gone in 60 Seconds this is not - more bumbling motorbikes than shiny super cars and it is all the better for it. Standouts are too many to mention but I would have to say that Kevin Kline's Otto steals just about every scene he bursts into. He adds more than a bit to the out-of-control element throughout what feels like a series of set-pieces. All useful set-pieces though which flow together as one shimmering crime caper. Not a second is ever wasted. It has been said that someone died of laughter while watching this. If I was to die while watching anything, A Fish Called Wanda would be perfect. Classic English humor with an American twist, this continues to be my favorite comedy of all time.… Expand
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10
gromitFeb 23, 2014
An awesome script, wonderful acting especially from Kline and Cleese and damn funny from start to finish. Has more than a touch of Python humor in it but it still very sophisticated. This is a movie I have watched time and again over theAn awesome script, wonderful acting especially from Kline and Cleese and damn funny from start to finish. Has more than a touch of Python humor in it but it still very sophisticated. This is a movie I have watched time and again over the years and never get tired of it.… Expand
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9
FIlmsareawesomeSep 22, 2011
This was just pure comedy, what happen to comedy nowadays. This movie was amazing, well written, with good dialogues between the characters, it kept the public interested, and they sure did select the perfect cast for this movie, Jamie LeeThis was just pure comedy, what happen to comedy nowadays. This movie was amazing, well written, with good dialogues between the characters, it kept the public interested, and they sure did select the perfect cast for this movie, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, John Cleese and Michael Palin were able to do everything in the movie, but they completely smashed it in the comedy scenes, so freaking funny, and therefore the result was pretty damn good.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
lasttimeisawAug 29, 2012
Hardly a Monty Python vehicle, but its remnants, Cleese and Palin has brought forth perhaps their best work so far (including the python period), a contemporary satire homing in the UK/USA self-mocking kernel, with their US counterparts,Hardly a Monty Python vehicle, but its remnants, Cleese and Palin has brought forth perhaps their best work so far (including the python period), a contemporary satire homing in the UK/USA self-mocking kernel, with their US counterparts, Curtis and Kline. Entertaining to its very core, the crime-light, pratfall-heavy comedy ingenuously spikes British humor in its comparatively foolhardy story of a manipulative woman… Expand
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9
beingryanjudeAug 27, 2014
Adventures aren't always as funny their creators intend for them to be. This one is. In fact, it's one of the funniest flicks out of Britain ever. Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline are dynamite.
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8
SpangleJul 15, 2017
Written by Monty Python member John Cleese, it is truly a foregone conclusion that A Fish Called Wanda would be a truly hysterical film. However, it is the rare comedy that does not rely upon absurd plot happenings or even a plot at all.Written by Monty Python member John Cleese, it is truly a foregone conclusion that A Fish Called Wanda would be a truly hysterical film. However, it is the rare comedy that does not rely upon absurd plot happenings or even a plot at all. Though a heist comedy, it is a film about its characters due to Cleese's strong character writing with practically all of the humor being derived from their encounters with one another or what they will do to finally get their hands on the money at the end of the rainbow. A smart and witty film, A Fish Called Wanda is comedy with a brain, a great script, and absolutely phenomenal performances across the board. Thus, it becomes a truly well-rounded piece of entertainment that never misses a beat for the entirety of its runtime.

Starting off with a heist pulled off by craft George Thomason (Tom Georgeson), Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis), sharpshooter Otto (Kevin Kline), and stutterer Ken (Michael Palin), A Fish Called Wanda takes a pretty typical turn when everybody quickly turns against one another after the heist, causing the score to get lost in the shuffle. Yet, like a Coen brothers film, the heist is just an excuse to begin to explore these characters so this narrative cliche is rather excusable. As the diamonds are hidden in some sort of safety deposit box that is in some hotel, near an iconic location, has a key, and is number something, it is required that the group of four work together to be able to get to those diamonds. However, with George in jail and Ken left for dead by Otto and Wanda, it seems as though that bit may be a tall task. Enter barrister Archie Leach (John Cleese). In a loveless marriage and the barrister for George, Archie is a prime target for the large breasted Wanda to use her tricks to get the necessary information from George to be able to find where the diamonds are locked up. While the diamonds are eventually found, it is truly a battle of attrition and one that often takes a backseat to the characters on display.

With this room to explore the characters, Cleese's incredibly smart script takes full advantage by developing the whole cast nicely, of which Otto and Archie really shine as the best figures in the film. A jealous and neurotic moron, Otto is an incredibly talented marksman, but a moron in every other walk of life. Introducing the running visual gag of having him pop up whenever girlfriend Wanda is set to sleep with Archie, Otto's presence in the film is always a welcome one. Showing him to be deeply unhinged and stupid, Cleese's script constantly establishes him as a figure who lacks any sense of sympathy. Criticizing Ken for his stutter, encouraging him to kill an old woman, calling any other driver whose car he hits an **** or insulting Ken again at the end of the film, Otto's stupidity does not just come from what he knows but in how he treats others. He is funny to watch thanks to Kevin Kline's incredible and well-deserved Oscar winning performance, but is certainly quite a villainous figure with just how sinister and cold he is towards everybody around him. If he cannot gain something out of a situation, he does not care. Lacking empathy and bordering on being a sociopath, Otto is an unhinged and loose cannon just waiting to implode.

Alongside Otto, Archie is a tremendous character. Trapped in this loveless marriage, poor Archie walks right into the bear trap that is Wanda with very little prodding whatsoever. She is sex personified and Archie is absolutely desperate, so it is a natural fit. A smart and capable barrister, Archie is a tad bit dead inside and the opportunity to run off with somebody like Wanda is a welcome one. While his descent into becoming a criminal may seem a bit much on the surface, for a man so cooped up and dependent on his wife, he is liable to do anything once given the leeway and freedom to actually make up his own mind and not deal with somebody's **** constantly. Portraying the character himself, John Cleese is outstanding. Infusing the film with great comedy in the writing of the character, Cleese's relatively straight performance that slowly becomes more-and-more comedic in nature as he ascends into freedom, Cleese plays this repressed and locked up husband figure terrifically and with great spirit. While Kline steals the show, Cleese's comedic performance consistently delivers laughs, while his dramatic performance early on convinces the audience that he is in fact an incredibly successful barrister.… Expand
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10
FranzHcriticAug 24, 2013
F***ing hilarious. Sophisticated, understandable, and genuinely funny. Me and my brother fell to the ground. Kevin Kline is the real guy to look at. His ineptitude cultivates in everyone else's f**k ups. He deserved the oscar. Why didn't heF***ing hilarious. Sophisticated, understandable, and genuinely funny. Me and my brother fell to the ground. Kevin Kline is the real guy to look at. His ineptitude cultivates in everyone else's f**k ups. He deserved the oscar. Why didn't he get the golden globe, I have no idea.… Expand
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10
kyle20ellisMar 18, 2022
What can I say about A Fish Called Wanda that hasn't been said already. Not a lot seemingly, everything has been said so well about how good this film is. A Fish Called Wanda epitomises the term comedy classic in every way. It is brilliantlyWhat can I say about A Fish Called Wanda that hasn't been said already. Not a lot seemingly, everything has been said so well about how good this film is. A Fish Called Wanda epitomises the term comedy classic in every way. It is brilliantly written, uproariously funny and goes along at a pace as fast as the crack of a whip. The film looks great too, with the cinematography skillful and striking. The story is wonderfully constructed with seldom a dull moment, while the acting is superb. John Cleese is sensational in one of his best roles, while Kevin Kline is just as skilled at delivering the comedy and Jamie Lee Curtis is just a treasure. Overall, if you want a fast-paced, hilarious and original film look no further than this jewel. 10/10 Bethany Cox… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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0
BroyaxMay 4, 2018
Une comédie vaudevillesque (l'appellation "polar" serait trop d'honneur) très superficielle et très légère, tellement légère qu'elle s'évapore d'elle-même au visionnage comme un long pet silencieux. Notre chère Jamie Lee (super canon ici) aUne comédie vaudevillesque (l'appellation "polar" serait trop d'honneur) très superficielle et très légère, tellement légère qu'elle s'évapore d'elle-même au visionnage comme un long pet silencieux. Notre chère Jamie Lee (super canon ici) a beau être affriolante en petite tenue, elle brasse surtout beaucoup d'air, tout comme l'intégralité de cette comédie de pacotille à l'humour (?) débile.

Kevin Kline est insupportable de débilité lui aussi : il parvient à être encore plus débile que le bègue, c'est dire ! Bien que le film ne soit pas une pièce de théâtre, on a toujours le sentiment d'être bloqué devant une représentation hystéro-bouffonne qui tourne en boucle comme une conne en essayant de rebondir de temps à autre sur quelque rebondissement téléphoné : hélas, le ballon est une baudruche qui fuit de toute part et tombe dans le caniveau.

Bref, une sous-comédie navrante, ridicule et grotesque qui allie la bêtise à un crasse médiocrité irrécupérable : un produit totalement nul à chier.… Expand
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10
AMulroneycakesCalledGilbertNov 25, 2002
Hmm...I didn't find it as funny as everyone else on the planet, but that's probably me. Certainly when I did find it funny I found it uproarious, and that's good enough. 1010 for common consensus.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
Compi24Mar 24, 2018
John Cleese and Charles Crichton's "A Fish Called Wanda" is a deliberate and tantalizing exercise in dramatic irony, and a perfect example of brilliantly composed, character-driven heist entertainment at its finest. There's no slouch here inJohn Cleese and Charles Crichton's "A Fish Called Wanda" is a deliberate and tantalizing exercise in dramatic irony, and a perfect example of brilliantly composed, character-driven heist entertainment at its finest. There's no slouch here in the cast either. Jamie Lee Curtis performance is marvelously duplicitous. John Cleese yet again proves his comedic prowess at playing the straight man. Michael Palin is hilariously pathetic in the best, non-ironic way. And Kevin Kline (in a role for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) and his comedic talents are simply something you have to see to believe. This is definitely another one of those films that I've come to regret not having seen for such a long time. Really fun stuff.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
ranjan04rajeevMar 13, 2019
I loved the movie, its style of comedy suited me. the humour looked fresh and not overdone. the plot and characters were consistent and uniquely funny.
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6
Gamzguy17Aug 21, 2021
The smart comedy screenplay is entirely comprised of Cleese's material. As a result, much of the film comes off as a "Monty Python" or a "Fawlty Towers" myriad of gags and funnies which can be predicted.
 This heavily hindered my enjoyment ofThe smart comedy screenplay is entirely comprised of Cleese's material. As a result, much of the film comes off as a "Monty Python" or a "Fawlty Towers" myriad of gags and funnies which can be predicted.
 This heavily hindered my enjoyment of the film, but for those unfamiliar with the British chap's work, this is still a meticulously crafted work of comedy with no slouch on the acting efforts of all who were involved.… Expand
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