Plot & Details
In A Fish Called Wanda, Jamie Lee Curtis plays an ambitious con artist who uses every ounce of her sexual wiles to obtain a fortune in jewels stolen by her gangster lover Tom Georgeson. First, she romances Georgeson's dimwitted but deadly henchman Kevin Kline (who won an Academy Award for his performance). Then, to clear the path for her getaway with Kline, Jamie woos Georgeson's starched-shirt attorney, John Cleese -- and it's Cleese whom she genuinely falls in love with. Michael Palin, Cleese's former Monty Python cohort, plays a stuttering mob flunkey who continually messes up his one big assignment: killing a little old lady (it isn't that he has any qualms about knocking off the old dear; it's just that her pet dogs keep getting in the way). A Fish Called Wanda was scripted by star John Cleese.
- MPAA Rating: R
- Genre(s): Comedy,Crime and Mystery
- Run Time: 98min.
- Theatrical Release Date: 07/15/1988
- DVD Release Date: 03/23/1999
- Distributor(s): MGM/UA
- Director(s): Charles Crichton
- Starring: John Cleese , Jamie Lee Curtis , Kevin Kline , Michael Palin , Tom Georgeson
- Themes: Assumed Identities,Nothing Goes Right,Americans Abroad,Cons and Scams
- Tone: Bright,Irreverent,Light,Literate,Quirky,Silly,Witty
- Keywords: con/scam,criminal,dog,double-cross,escape,fish [animal],getaway,jewel-robbery,lawyer,opal,robbery,stutterer
- Country of Origin: USA (07-15-1988)
- Language: English
Awards
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Director | Charles Crichton | Nominated |
| 1988 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Original Screenplay | John Cleese | Nominated |
| 1988 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Supporting Actor | Kevin Kline | Won |
| 1988 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Original Screenplay | Charles Crichton | Nominated |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| 1988 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Actor | John Cleese | Won |
| 1988 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Supporting Actor | Michael Palin | Won |
| 1988 | British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Director | Charles Crichton | Nominated |
Golden Globes
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Picture - Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| 1988 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | John Cleese | Nominated |
| 1988 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | Jamie Lee Curtis | Nominated |
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