A Fish Called Wanda

Film

Comedy

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<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5
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Time Out says

A perfectly old-fashioned romantic comedy, big on caper, generous on Ealing, and heavy on the twisted stereotypes. Cleese scripts and stars as London barrister Archie Leach, hired to defend a gem thief, and earning a much-vaunted 'sex symbol' tag with the affections of gangster's moll Wanda Gershwitz (Curtis). It's a plot too jagged to document in full - Where are the gems? Who has the safe-deposit key? Who's betraying whom? Is the London Underground really a political movement? - but the interest lies less in outcome than in character: Palin as a madly stuttering, animal-loving dog-murderer, Kline as a maybe-CIA cruel paranoid pseud who's intermittently Wanda's lover/gay brother, and Cleese and Curtis as the most unlikely rug-tearers since Miller and Monroe. There's nothing deep, nothing ground-breaking, but it's a never-dull, tightly scripted yarn with some very funny gags.
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Release details

UK release:

1988

Duration:

108 mins

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 3/5 (1 rating)
  • In my opinion well worth seeing for Kevin Kline(a deserved Oscar win) & Maria Aitken,who plays Cleese wife.In fact i`d say they`re performances are so good i`d watch it again just for them.So what`s the problem? Cleese! Don`t get me wrong,Cleese is one of my favourite Pythons and i love him as Basil Fawlty but he is simply not a good romantic lead.Also the music score has dated badly.As for Palin who`s another Python fav,people love him in this but although i`ve enjoyed him in most other films,he along with Curtis seem no more than adequate.My final summation is most people will find something to enjoy here 3 1/2 stars.

    E A Dobson Sat May 19 2012
    Rated as: 3/5
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