A Fish Called Wanda

Director Charles Crichton's hilarious romp.

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. [29 July 1988, Daily Notebook, p.E1]

Think of A Fish Called Wanda as the next best thing to a Looney Tunes-Merrie Melodies summerfest…Wanda defies gravity, in both senses of the word, and redefines a great comic tradition. [July 18, 1988]

Crichton keeps the laughs coming with infectious energy.

Curtis steals the show with her keen sense of comic timing and sneaky little grins and asides.

This crumbled-caper comedy is the funniest movie ever from a film maker late in his eighth decade. [22 July 1988, Life, p.4D]

The dialogue reports funny things instead of showing them. The movie remains in a limbo halfway between the informed anarchy of Monty Python comedy stripped of all social and political satire, and the comparatively genteel comedy of "The Lavender Hill Mob." [15 July 1988, p.C8]

What can I say about A Fish Called Wanda that hasn't been said already. Not a lot seemingly, everything has been said so well about how good this film is. A Fish Called Wanda epitomises the term comedy classic in every way. It is brilliantly written, uproariously funny and goes along at a pace as fast as the crack of a whip. The film looks great too, with the cinematography skillful and striking. The story is wonderfully constructed with seldom a dull moment, while the acting is superb. John Cleese is sensational in one of his best roles, while Kevin Kline is just as skilled at delivering the comedy and Jamie Lee Curtis is just a treasure. Overall, if you want a fast-paced, hilarious and original film look no further than this jewel. 10/10 Bethany Cox

An awesome script, wonderful acting especially from Kline and Cleese and damn funny from start to finish. Has more than a touch of Python humor in it but it still very sophisticated. This is a movie I have watched time and again over the years and never get tired of it.

F***ing hilarious. Sophisticated, understandable, and genuinely funny. Me and my brother fell to the ground. Kevin Kline is the real guy to look at. His ineptitude cultivates in everyone else's f**k ups. He deserved the oscar. Why didn't he get the golden globe, I have no idea.

The smart comedy screenplay is entirely comprised of Cleese's material. As a result, much of the film comes off as a "Monty Python" or a "Fawlty Towers" myriad of gags and funnies which can be predicted. This heavily hindered my enjoyment of the film, but for those unfamiliar with the British chap's work, this is still a meticulously crafted work of comedy with no slouch on the acting efforts of all who were involved.

Une comédie vaudevillesque (l'appellation "polar" serait trop d'honneur) très superficielle et très légère, tellement légère qu'elle s'évapore d'elle-même au visionnage comme un long pet silencieux. Notre chère Jamie Lee (super canon ici) a beau être affriolante en petite tenue, elle brasse surtout beaucoup d'air, tout comme l'intégralité de cette comédie de pacotille à l'humour (?) débile. Kevin Kline est insupportable de débilité lui aussi : il parvient à être encore plus débile que le bègue, c'est dire ! Bien que le film ne soit pas une pièce de théâtre, on a toujours le sentiment d'être bloqué devant une représentation hystéro-bouffonne qui tourne en boucle comme une conne en essayant de rebondir de temps à autre sur quelque rebondissement téléphoné : hélas, le ballon est une baudruche qui fuit de toute part et tombe dans le caniveau. Bref, une sous-comédie navrante, ridicule et grotesque qui allie la bêtise à un crasse médiocrité irrécupérable : un produit totalement nul à chier.