A Fish Called Wanda (Special Edition, DVD)

When A Fish Called Wanda hit the big screens in 1988 it was way ahead of it's time . As with many movies it suffered a little from over-hype by the press and reviewers . As such it was a wee bit disappointing to me . However I only mean a very small wee ( gosh I hope you know what I mean :) ) The plot revolves around an American couples visit to England . Wanda a sex bomb of a con artist and Otto a jewel thief have planned , and are to carry out a diamond robbery in London . The plot involves a double cross , deceit and murder all of which is carried out in ludicrous circumstances . Michael Palin best known for Monty Python and more recently Pole ...  Read the complete review

Director: Charles Crichton Writers: John Cleese and Charles Crichton Actors: John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson Cinema Release Date: October 1988 Genre: Comedy Classification: 15+ Runtime: 108 minutes Awards: Kevin Kline - Oscar for best actor John Cleese - Oscar nomination for best original screenplay, John Cleese and Michael Palin – BAFTA awards for their roles and another 5 industry wins and 13 nominations The Gist of it… ****************** Wanda and her secret lover, Otto travel to England where they meet with Wanda’s (not secret) boyfriend George and stuttering Ken with a ...  Read the complete review

An idea s truck John Cleese, the writer and star of this film. He thought people were bored with slow moving British comedies with characters that were brilliant, yet didn't have anyone quite mad enough to interact with and create huge laughs. How do we break out of this streak? Throw in two of the most colourful, sexy and (one in particular) insane characters but they need that huge self confidence that only comes with Americans; introducing Jamie Lee Curtis and Academy Award winner Kevin Kline, in roles that immediately turned them into fully capable comic actors. Barrister Archie Leach (John Cleese) becomes obsessed with the enticing charms of Wanda. She's ...  Read the complete review

...or Monty Python Mark VI. Well, it could have been, seeing as it starred John Cleese and Michael Palin from that illustrious, if increasingly dated looking, British comedy TV series. But in reality A Fish Called Wanda was about as far as it could get away from Cleese's roots, with him fairly liberally straying into the world of cost transatlantic comedy. It was almost odds on to be a box office smash just on the strength of Cleese's contribution alone, but then one might have thought the same about the exceedingly lacklustre Clockwise, and look what happened to that. Wanda, however, was something completely different (apologies). ...  Read the complete review

'A Fish Called Wanda' was a massive hit in 1988 when it was released and I first saw it on television in the 1990's. I have recently re-discovered it and found an incredibly witty British comedy with two marvellous comic performances by Michael Palin and Kevin Kline. Written by John Cleese and it's a finely crafted screenplay that actually manages to escape from the Monty Python style comedy. It's more like an Ealing comedy but with lots of bad language and a hilarious examination of cultural differences between America and England. It's fair to say that it is predictable film and the story isn't that great but the humour ...  Read the complete review