X
- 1988
- R
- MGM/UA Distribution Company
- 1 h 48 m
- 1988
- R
- MGM/UA Distribution Company
- 1 h 48 m
Summary In this zany comedy, four disparate characters (John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin) attempt a daring jewel heist.
Directed By: Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Written By: John Cleese, Charles Crichton
- 1988
- R
- MGM/UA Distribution Company
- 1 h 48 m
- 1988
- R
- MGM/UA Distribution Company
- 1 h 48 m
A Fish Called Wanda
80
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary In this zany comedy, four disparate characters (John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin) attempt a daring jewel heist.
Directed By: Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Written By: John Cleese, Charles Crichton
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
80
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
12% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
80
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
12% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Director Charles Crichton's hilarious romp.
I laughed so hard, my eyes watered. I laughed so loud, I lost track of whether anyone else was laughing. I laughed so much, I ached afterwards. [29 July 1988, Daily Notebook, p.E1]
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 151 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
134 Ratings
134 Ratings
7% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
4% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 151 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
134 Ratings
134 Ratings
7% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
4% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
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 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
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Think of A Fish Called Wanda as the next best thing to a Looney Tunes-Merrie Melodies summerfest…Wanda defies gravity, in both senses of the word, and redefines a great comic tradition. [July 18, 1988]
Crichton keeps the laughs coming with infectious energy.
Curtis steals the show with her keen sense of comic timing and sneaky little grins and asides.
This crumbled-caper comedy is the funniest movie ever from a film maker late in his eighth decade. [22 July 1988, Life, p.4D]
The dialogue reports funny things instead of showing them. The movie remains
in a limbo halfway between the informed anarchy of Monty Python comedy
stripped of all social and political satire, and the comparatively genteel
comedy of "The Lavender Hill Mob." [15 July 1988, p.C8]
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 the years and never get tired of it.
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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 he get the golden globe, I have no idea.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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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) 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.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 2 Wins & 9 Nominations
