A Fish Called Wanda
Cast
John Cleese as Archie
Jamie Lee Curtis as Wanda
Kevin Kline as Otto
Michael Palin as Ken
Maria Aitken as Wendy
Directed by Charles Crichton and John Cleese
Rater #2 has description and review
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
8/10. John Cleese and Michael Palin may be most famous for their Monty
Python troupe, Jamie Lee Curtis for Halloween, and Kevin Kline for�
being in movies, but one of their most memorable movies is the first
one they did together. Which one? A Fish Called Wanda
Curtis is Wanda, part of a diamond group along with Ken (Palin),
George Thomason (Tom Georgeson), and her brother Otto (Kline). They
pull off a multi-million pound heist in England, and hide the loot.
It seems, though, that Wanda and Otto (who aren't actually brother
and sister but lovers) want it all for themselves. So they turn
George into the police to try to find out where he hid the loot. It
seems the only person George would have told about where the loot is
would be his barrister Archie Leach (Cleese). So, naturally, Wanda
goes up to him and becomes "friends" with him, much to the dismay of
Otto.
A Fish Called Wanda is a twistful and delightful comedy that shows
the new sex comedies that they don't need gross body functions to be
funny. I'm not saying this movie is completely tasteful. Ken, who is
an animal lover, accidentally kills dogs. But, it's not too explicit.
Most of the humor comes from Kline, who always shows up whenever
Archie and Wanda are together, and who pretends he's gay and tries to
get Ken. Some of those subplots, such as the gay one and Kline hating
people that call him stupid, seem to not matter. But it is funny.
Cleese's script is full of surprises. And most of these laughs were
genuine, unlike the fakey ones from other movies. Who can forget
Kline's shout whenever he's in the car? It is a memorable movie.
Kline puts up his best comedic performance, and deserved his Oscar
for best supporting actor. He has excellent comedic timing, always
putting the joke on at the right time. He had great chemistry with
everyone; it seemed to blend in with the lifestyles of the others.
Curtis was excellent in a comedic role. Of course, Cleese and Palin
are no strangers to comedy. Cleese seemed like a typical British
person-stuck up and courteous. He actually talks about that during
the film. Palin was great with a stutter that actually is an
important part of the film.
It seems that A Fish Called Wanda thinks itself as "bad" and "let's
offend everyone!" However, it's one of the more tasteful comedies
I've seen recently. Its jokes are almost always funny and tasteful,
with Kline's trigger-happy attitude that explodes every once in a
while. This group, that came back for 1997's Fierce Creatures, were
excellent and they look like they had fun together. Which is good for
them. However, after the first forty minutes or so, the humor kind of
wavers and it becomes a little uneven. There are still jokes, of
course, but not as rapid-fire as the ones before. But considering the
humor of the film in its entirety, it could be considered a moot
point.
A Fish Called Wanda is a very hilarious comedy that you'll remember
for a while, and looks like it can stick up for repeated viewings,
because there are so many jokes you'll forget a lot of them.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie
Rated R for language and comic violence and sexuality.
Running time: 108 minutes
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