A Fish Called Wanda

1988 Comedy

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.

Director: Charles Crichton

Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken

Reviews

  • A convulsively funny affair.

    Sheila Benson - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • The funniest movie I have seen in a long time.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    29 November 2012

  • 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.

    Peter Stack - The San Francisco Chronicle

    29 November 2012

  • It's a deliciously dishy comedy, but like sushi an acquired taste.

    Rita Kempley - The Washington Post

    29 November 2012

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

    - Rolling Stone

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Top Box Office Films

    ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards (1989)

  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role

    Academy Awards (1989)

  • Best Actor

    BAFTA Awards (1989)

  • Best Foreign Screenplay (Migliore Sceneggiatura Straniera)

    David di Donatello Awards (1989)

  • Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures

    Directors Guild of America (1989)