A Fish Called Wanda
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
A convulsively funny affair.
The funniest movie I have seen in a long time.
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.
It's a deliciously dishy comedy, but like sushi an acquired taste.
If it is indeed possible for a film to be both stylish and tasteless, then A Fish Called Wanda certainly fills the bill.
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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)
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