Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

SimonJack Please note that this review definitely has spoilers. "A Fish Called Wanda" is one of the funniest films ever made. If ever there were a perfect match of a perfect cast and perfect plot, this would have to be it, or close to it. The four leads are hilarious in painfully funny (as in gut-splitting) roles. The film would be considerably less with any one of them missing. Kevin Kline won an Oscar for his best supporting actor role as Otto. It is one of the funniest roles ever concocted, and Kline plays it perfectly. But, very close to him is Michael Palin and his role as Ken Pile. The horror on his face after each mishap in which he "knocks off" one of the lady witness's dogs is too much. John Cleese plays Archie Leach, a hen-pecked husband who married into the upper class of England. He's a barrister who has never known anything exciting in life. His is a different humor, and he is hilarious as the somewhat naïve barrister who's slow to catch on to things. Of course, it is Cleese's comic genius that created the story and screenplay, with some help. Jamie Lee Curtis, as Wanda Gershwitz, may be the brains behind the whole caper and story as it evolves. She's also little more than an opportunist who will use any guy to get her millions. She's not cold- hearted, but cunning and conniving. She sells out her boyfriend who was the mastermind of the big robbery caper. And, she is aroused by men who speak in foreign tongues. Otto and Archie accommodate her accordingly, in Italian and Russian, respectively. The scenes are terribly funny. But this film doesn't end with those leads. Some minor characters add considerably to the humor. Maria Aitken's role as Wendy, Archie's wife, is quite funny. Tom Georgeson is very funny as the robbery plotter George Thomason, especially when he realizes that Wanda has sold him out. Geoffrey Palmer is the judge in Thomason's trial. Some of the funniest scenes in the film are between Otto and Ken. These are side-splitting scenes. Make no mistake about it – this film is adult. But it's not raunchy, vulgar or because of explicit sex scenes. The movie takes on political correctness, and has scenes that may offend some people who take things far too seriously and can't laugh at foibles in areas that are important to them. So, humorless dog and animal lovers probably shouldn't watch this film. That's also part of the reason it's not a good film for children. But when those kids get older and if they become mature, this is one film they should see for its wonderful laughter-inducing humor.

blumdeluxe "A Fish called Wanda" is a very British film. It tells the story of a robbery and how the participants try to gain control over the treasure, leading to a sheer chaos.As often with John Cleese, everything is a bit too loud, fast and hyperactive for me. I love how the film manages to create a chaos through the mix of very different characters but sometimes the very extrovert attempt to make the movie humorous takes the drive out of the plot a bit. The characters sometimes seem a bit too designed and don't really depict believable characters. I see that many viewers explicitly like this side of the film, just personally I don't feel it.This one is not a bad movie, don't get me wrong. It kept me interested and it is not really obvious to where it will lead, so you won't be bored and it even stood the test of time quite well. Nonetheless this is not the first movie that comes to my mind as an Oscar candidate and I have to say that there are better movies less known.

GertrudeStern "Total farce, so many gags; it's like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon": my friend's unenthusiastic reactions through a mouthful of somewhat dry baked potato.And he was right. A Fish Called Wanda definitely has tons of pomp and circumstance, but lacks any real structure apart from following around a key, secured in a locket, which Jamie Lee Curtis is going to use to open a safe that will make her rich.The (sort of) positives: A *few* moments of passable situational comedy, some fun torture scenes (when Kline quizzes the stuttering Michael Palin about Nietzsche, stuffing french fries into his nose with non-response, before slurping down all of Mike's aquarium life), some semi-funny lines ('I've worn dresses with higher IQs' & ' The London Underground is not a political movement!').Really, you should just pull up stills of the most not-to-be-missed feature of the film: Kevin Kline's wardrobe. With the black ball cap and trench coat. Possibly the best outfit of any cinematic heist-meister. Does he really put his pants on one leg at a time?

Python Hyena A Fish Called Wanda (1988): Dir: Charles Crichton / Cast: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken: Clever caper comedy with a title that not only references a pet, but also the woman who conned everyone and got away. Plot regards stolen jewels and the betrayal of the leader. Wanda is played by Jamie Lee Curtis who set up the betrayal along with her lover, a weapons expert named Otto, played to brilliant comic extremes by Kevin Kline. John Cleese is hilarious as barrister Archie Leach. His marriage is reduced to spite, and his teenage daughter wails for attention. Now Wanda has entrapped him for information resulting in situations resulting in him being hung upside down out a window, beat up while robbing his own house, and being caught naked by a family of four on a surprise visit. Curtis is sexy playing her options but has a weakness for erotic spoken languages. Kline provides a physical sarcasm with his jealous outbursts over Wanda until he is using a firearm to issue an apology. Michael Palin plays the animal loving Ken whose task of killing an elderly witness results is his most hilariously painful backfires. With a grand supporting cast and director Charles Crichton making his best caper since Lavender Hill Mob. Ending is wayward with humour often in questionable taste, this becomes a brilliant clash of cultures descending in a net that only Wanda can outmaneuver. Score: 8 / 10