A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

R| 1 hr. 47 min.

Plot Summary
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.

Cast: John Cleese , Jamie Lee Curtis , Kevin Kline , Michael Palin , Maria Aitken , Tom Georgeson , Patricia Hayes , Geoffrey Palmer

Directors: Charles Crichton , John Cleese

Genres: Comedy

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Release Date: July 15th, 1988|1 hr. 47 min.

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critic reviews ( 3 )

fan reviews ( 1 )

80

Rolling Stone

If it is indeed possible for a film to be both stylish and tasteless, then A Fish Called Wanda certainly fills the bill. show more
100

Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle

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] show more
75

Mike Clark USA Today

This crumbled-caper comedy is the funniest movie ever from a film maker late in his eighth decade. [22 July 1988, Life, p.4D] show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com

September 24, 2009 bikerpilotpoet
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This movie is, quite simply, one of the funniest films ever made. Kevin Kline manages to create a character who is, at the same time, hilariously funny, dispicably rotten and outrageously stupid and then makes you LIKE the guy in spite of yourself. The "chemistry" between his character and Jamie Lee Curtis' equally rotten and equally likeable sexpot partner in crime is absolutely delicious and Michael Palin is, as always, Michael Palin...one of those people who just to show up to be funny. This is a classic and you can't consider yourself a true movie lover unless you've seen it at least once.

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Cinematical Movie Club: A Fish Called Wanda

Posted by Monika Bartyzel on September 24, 2010

It's probably not accurate to call Jamie Lee Curtis' new film, 'You Again,' a comeback. Though she's not in the spotlight like she once was, she did offer up the likes of 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'...

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