A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  Kevin Kline is one of my all time favorites and he shines alongside Cleese, Curtis and Palin in an all time classic comedy.

• Lucas M

  
  Terrible funny and clever, A Fish Called Wanda it's a great comedy film with outstanding performances. Fresh.

• KJ P

  
  "A Fish Called Wanda" is classic comedy at it's finest. However, I mean this in the moments that fall aside the fact that many scenes offended me and some were even out of place. I understand that it is trying to gain an audience by delivering subtle and dry humour,… More
  "A Fish Called Wanda" is classic comedy at it's finest. However, I mean this in the moments that fall aside the fact that many scenes offended me and some were even out of place. I understand that it is trying to gain an audience by delivering subtle and dry humour, which it does accomplish, but when that humour involves making fun of a stutter, you can kiss my laughs goodbye. The premise is very basic, yet very fun, and the actors put there all into their dumb characters. Overall, this is definitely a film that I would watch again, but I know that there are certain scenes that I might just skip over. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to laugh, even if it is rude and pervasive humour.

• Alexander D

  
  Though A FISH CALLED WANDA is often makes a grand show of comic violence, nonsense, and obscene vulgarity, it is massively hysterical, unique, and ultimately likable. There have been films such as THE BLUES BROTHERS, SPACEBALLS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE that gave my… More
  Though A FISH CALLED WANDA is often makes a grand show of comic violence, nonsense, and obscene vulgarity, it is massively hysterical, unique, and ultimately likable. There have been films such as THE BLUES BROTHERS, SPACEBALLS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE that gave my lungs a serious workout, but after A FISH CALLED WANDA was over, I was shocked to find that I had not died of exhaustion. If you love animals to no defined point, then thatâ(TM)s a different story, because you will be nothing but offended. Otherwise, this is a comedy of essential viewing.

• AJ V

  
  A very funny action comedy movie with a great cast, especially Cleese. Not one of the best comedies of the 80s, as some people say, but it's worth watching, it's very funny and entertaining.

• Spencer S

  
  One of the funniest comedies, written by John Cleese and starring him and Monty Python alum Michael Palin, Wanda is a catch. Kevin Kline, the master of the confused belligerant, scores meteoric cult following with his bumbling repetoire, and Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect as the seducing… More
  One of the funniest comedies, written by John Cleese and starring him and Monty Python alum Michael Palin, Wanda is a catch. Kevin Kline, the master of the confused belligerant, scores meteoric cult following with his bumbling repetoire, and Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect as the seducing succubus Wanda.

• Cynthia S

  
  Funny, funny, funny, funny movie!! Not sure it gets much better than this...

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood."</i> In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood."</i> In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> "A Fish Called Wanda" is an excellent comedy that rises above about 99.9% of other comedies and is a great part of the cinema. American crooks Kevin Kline (Oscar-winning) and a very sexy Jamie Lee Curtis have plans to double-cross British crooks Tom Georgeson and Michael Palin after they pull a caper together. However, everything goes awry and now the Americans need the help of British barrister John Cleese. "A Fish Called Wanda" is hilarious in every sense of the word. Kevin Kline stands out the most, but that is not saying that everyone else is not good as well. The subtle direction is effective and the screenplay is witty, insightful, and overall excellent. This was arguably the best film produced in 1988.

• Randy T

  
  Although some elements have held up well, time has erased most of the luster. Still amusing, but not nearly as funny as it seemed 22 years ago.

• Jason S

  
  Funny brit humour with a bit of crime caper thrown in. The cast is excellent with Curtis, Kline, and Cleese leading the charge. Kline is great as Otto, the stupid muscle who fancies himself a philosopher. His over the top reactions are hilarious and really make the character fun to… More
  Funny brit humour with a bit of crime caper thrown in. The cast is excellent with Curtis, Kline, and Cleese leading the charge. Kline is great as Otto, the stupid muscle who fancies himself a philosopher. His over the top reactions are hilarious and really make the character fun to watch. Likewise, the subdued comedy of Cleese works perfectly with the american side of the cast to create a near perfect storm of comedic talent. This is a great movie and I recommend it to anyone who digs these folks.

• Wahida K

  
  And this had sequel

• Lady D

  
  Entertaining and comical with great developed characters, sporting a transatlantic cast. A great bad guy role for Kevin Kline.

• Anthony L

  
  In my top 10 comedies of all time! I hate to say, but John Cleese hasn?t been very funny since! :o(

• Jens S

  
  Very few comedy experiences I ever had compare to the first time I watched this film. It takes the best aspects of Monthy Python's humor, adds a lot of mockery of national stereotypes, slapstick and political incorrectness. The four main characters are unique, all carried by… More
  Very few comedy experiences I ever had compare to the first time I watched this film. It takes the best aspects of Monthy Python's humor, adds a lot of mockery of national stereotypes, slapstick and political incorrectness. The four main characters are unique, all carried by their outstanding actors, especially Kevin Kline deserved his Oscar as Otto, one of the rare occasions of the Academy recognizing comedy. The plot is smart, funny, entertaining, but it's the little things, the dialoges, the jokes that make this a true gem. Stuttering and Animal Cruelty Associations reacted outraged when this came out, the rest of the world peed their pants laughing.

• Cindy I

  
  I saw this years ago, and had forgotten how truly hysterical it is. A couple of the Python crazies (John Cleese and Michael Palin), along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, clown it up in this flick about a jewel heist and the efforts of all involved to screw over each other in… More
  I saw this years ago, and had forgotten how truly hysterical it is. A couple of the Python crazies (John Cleese and Michael Palin), along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, clown it up in this flick about a jewel heist and the efforts of all involved to screw over each other in order to keep the loot for themselves. Everyone did a wonderful job, but this film belongs to Kevin Kline. He deservedly won an Oscar for his role as Otto, the cocky, tactless, paranoid yet charming jewel thief with a love, but a gross misunderstanding, of philosophy. He simply steals every scene he's in. A sub-plot, in which Palin, as the animal-loving crook named Ken with a severe stutter, plans and then attempts to rub out the witness to the crime, is funny on its own. A couple of scenes that are mildly insensitive keep this from getting five stars, but it's a complete blast from start to finish. UPDATE: Saw this again tonight, and although I still think it's hilarious, I found myself actually moved by John Cleese. It's shown early on that his marriage is a zero. And now here is this beautiful woman showing him attention and giving him...basically a reason to feel alive again. Knowing that Wanda was playing him (not giving anything away here...that is established early on) kind of bothered me this go round. I was imagining being in that situation and how I would feel when I found out all was not as I thought. Interesting how one's mood can change one's reaction to a film from one viewing to the next.

• Dan S

  
  When the aftermath of a bank heist goes dreadfully wrong, three of the four members of the group are left scrambling as to what to do. Overrated, but still relatively funny (John Cleese is great) British comedy with a majority of the jokes that do work and some that don't work at… More
  When the aftermath of a bank heist goes dreadfully wrong, three of the four members of the group are left scrambling as to what to do. Overrated, but still relatively funny (John Cleese is great) British comedy with a majority of the jokes that do work and some that don't work at all. It's nothing hilarious like a lot of people make it out to be, but it's definitely a good, solid comedy which features Kevin Kline's best performance (which he won an Oscar for too).

• Aaron N

  
  Otto: You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, fuck-face, dickhead, asshole. Archie: How very interesting. You're a true vulgarian, aren't you? Otto: You are the vulgarian, you fuck. This movie is hilarious. It is a crime comedy about con artists… More
  Otto: You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, fuck-face, dickhead, asshole. Archie: How very interesting. You're a true vulgarian, aren't you? Otto: You are the vulgarian, you fuck. This movie is hilarious. It is a crime comedy about con artists filled with great dialogue, dry British humor and hilarious physical comedy as well. The plot involves the aftermath of a jewel heist. Four con artists are now in the process of scheming each other to get the loot for themselves. The leader is almost immediately caught, causing him to have one of the other thieves try to kill a witness. Meanwhile, the sexy female must try and seduce the awkward barrister (lawyer) to find out the location of the jewels. And then you have the weapons expert screwing everything up constantly for everyone. The cast is excellent. Jamie Lee Curtis as the con artist sex pot. John Cleese as a proper British lawyer, wanting to get away. Michael Palin as a stuttering hitman and animal lover. And Kevin Kline as a weapons expert, who believes himself to be an intellectual, despite being very dumb himself. Otto: You're a very attractive man, Ken. You're... smart, you've got wonderful bones, great eyes, and you dress really interestingly. The movie does a great job of not littering the screen with constant jokes that either work or don't, and instead supplying a number of carefully placed laughs, which are frequent, but very well handled none the less. John Cleese's work as a screenwriter here makes me want to see more from him. [Archie visits George, who is guarded by two policemen] Archie: We need to talk. George: You tell those pigs to fuck off. Archie: Fuck off, pigs. [the two policemen don't move] Archie: Did you hear what I said? Fuck off! Speaking of Cleese, his character, Archie, is great. A man trapped inside of a stuck up British body, who desperately wants to let lose. He is a great character. However, Kevin Kline absolutely steals the entire film with his wacked out hitman. Kline is in absolute top form here. [Archie has put his gun down to fist fight with Otto] Archie: I used to box for Oxford. Otto: Oh, yeah? [Otto quickly picks up Archie's gun, and points it at him] Otto: I used to kill for the CIA. A very funny movie. Fun plot with lots of twists and turns. Dark humor mixed with slapstick and wit. Great fun. Wanda: [after Otto breaks in on Wanda and Archie in Archie's flat and hangs him out the window] I was dealing with something delicate, Otto. I'm setting up a guy who's incredibly important to us, who's going to tell me where the loot is and if they're going to come and arrest you. And you come loping in like Rambo without a jockstrap and you dangle him out a fifth-floor window. Now, was that smart? Was it shrewd? Was it good tactics? Or was it stupid? Otto West: Don't call me stupid. Wanda: Oh, right! To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you. I've worn dresses with higher IQs. But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape? Otto West: Apes don't read philosophy. Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don't understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple of things, OK? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself." And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.

• danny d

  
  a cast of unlikeable characters doing dislikeable things rarely amounts to much, but in this film it amounted to comic supremecy. a very funny film with a compelling story and unique characters across the board make this a must watch comedy.

• Al S

  
  A brilliant and outragiously hilarious comedy that will make you fall over laughing. It's pure fun from start to finish. every performance is teriffic. Kevin Kline is outstanding giving a incrediably funny, satisfying and original performance.

• Candy R

  
  Comedy about a gang of robbers. Excellent cast.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings