A Fish Called Wanda

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A Fish Called Wanda

R,

1988,

1h 47m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

95%

66 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

British gangster George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) and his hapless aide, Ken Pile (Michael Palin), draft a pair of arrogant Americans, grifter Wanda Gerschwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and weapons expert Otto West (Kevin Kline), for a massive diamond heist. When the job goes badly, Wanda attempts to seduce George's stuffy lawyer, Archie Leach (John Cleese), to find out where George hid the diamonds. Meanwhile, Ken repeatedly attempts to kill an elderly woman (Patricia Hayes) who witnessed the robbery.

Critics Consensus

Smartly written, smoothly directed, and solidly cast, A Fish Called Wanda offers a classic example of a brainy comedy with widespread appeal.

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John Pym

Sight & Sound

Jan 16, 2020

To those who appreciate Ealing comedy (which is to say all right-thinking people), watching the film is like chancing on a Hogarth sketch in grandmother's attic, clearly and unmistakably signed by the Master.

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Peter Travers

People Magazine

Jul 30, 2013

Putting heart and heat into a film that could have easily slid by on silliness, Cleese proves himself a master actor.

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Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

Jul 30, 2013

3/4

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of what is surely the year's most original and daring comedy is that John Cleese is not the funniest performer in it. Believe it or not, that honor goes to none other than the usually somber Kevin Kline.

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Eoghan Lyng

PopMatters

Feb 3, 2024

Best of all, A Fish Called Wanda showed that Cleese – closer to 50 than his character’s age of 40 – could tackle the intricacies of romance.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Aug 19, 2022

... one of the funniest comedies of the eighties.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Sep 22, 2021

3.5/4

The bright characterizations, vivid performances, and unexpectedly uproarious set-pieces have lost little of their luster over the ensuing decades.

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Draco R

Mar 1, 2019

A perfectly emotionally pitched comedic farce which will make you squirm in your seat with dramatic discomfort again and again. A supreme comedy with perfect acting from the entire cast. FIVE STARS!

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Feb 1, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Kevin Kline as Otto West!

Luke W

Jan 31, 2019

This rivals Blues Brothers as one of my favourite films of all time. Kevin Kline owns this film as the moronic, Nietzsche-quoting criminal, with his major rival being John Cleese. Jamie Lee Curtis is fantastic, as is Michael Palin. The film is completely bonkers and has some fantastic quotes. They certainly don't make films like this anymore.

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Anakin R

Jan 24, 2019

A fun, clever, and funny little caper wrapped up in British sensibilities. There's an overall lack of polish to the movie though that makes it feel a bit cheesy at times, but the clever way the story progresses and fun characters more than make up for it. It's great seeing John Cleese's character change from a british stiff to an espionage mastermind throughout the film and you never really know the true intent of Wanda is. This light hearted intrigue permeates throughout and is the glue of the movie. A must see for John Cleese fans.

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Harry P

Nov 21, 2018

Hilarious, smartly plotted, and with a great cast, A Fish Called Wanda is a great comedy film that has several Monty Python members in it, but doesn't hearken back to their material too much. Definite recommendation. Don't call me stupid.

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Rey S

Sep 26, 2018

It's smart and strongly written, I agree. But I couldn't invest in any of the characters and it felt like I was watching an inconsequential thing.

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Charles Crichton

Director

John Cleese

Director

John Cleese

Archie Leach

Jamie Lee Curtis

Wanda Gerschwitz

Kevin Kline

Otto West

Michael Palin

Ken Pile

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Have You Got a Stutter?

2:25

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Fish and Chips

2:14

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Striptease Surprise

2:21

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Upside-Down Apology

1:27

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Ken's Revenge

2:31

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Apes Don't Read Philosophy

1:54

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - He Doesn't Have a Clue

2:04

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - The Language of Love

1:39

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Loosening Ken's Lips

1:28

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A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Otto Hates the British

1:56

Now Playing

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Synopsis

British gangster George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) and his hapless aide, Ken Pile (Michael Palin), draft a pair of arrogant Americans, grifter Wanda Gerschwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and weapons expert Otto West (Kevin Kline), for a massive diamond heist. When the job goes badly, Wanda attempts to seduce George's stuffy lawyer, Archie Leach (John Cleese), to find out where George hid the diamonds. Meanwhile, Ken repeatedly attempts to kill an elderly woman (Patricia Hayes) who witnessed the robbery.

Director: Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Producer: Michael Shamberg
Screenwriter: John Cleese
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Prominent Features
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 15, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.0M
Runtime: 1h 47m

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