A Fish Called Wanda (1988) is now considered a comedy classic, directed by Charles Crichton, who came out of semi-retirement at the age of seventy-eight to take it on. Co-written with John Cleese, the film almost never existed beyond a few loose ideas: Cleese imagined a stuttering character whose speech would somehow shape the plot, while Crichton contributed a single vivid and wickedly funny image – someone getting flattened by a steamroller. Out of those fragments grew one of the funniest, most enduring comedies of the late twentieth century.
Cleese himself directed a few scenes after Crichton left for editing, ensuring the film made it on time and on budget. The collaboration fused Cleese’s razor wit with Crichton’s old-school comic instincts, and the result is a whirlwind of double-crosses, diamonds, and very British absurdity.
A Cast in Full Flight
John Cleese surprises here by playing the straight character (Archie Leach), a proper barrister entangled in criminal chaos, very much bored with his home life. His performance is tinged with real drama – especially in the unforgettable car scene taking place right before his fight with Kevin Kline’s Otto – that proves Cleese could hold tension and heartbreak as deftly as punchlines.
Jamie Lee Curtis shines as Wanda, equal parts playful, cynical, and dangerously seductive. She manipulates everyone in sight, including Cleese’s lawyer, in her quest for hidden diamonds. Kevin Kline won an Oscar for Otto, Wanda’s unhinged lover who pretends to be her brother. His blend of idiocy, physical comedy and menace is unforgettable – never more so than when his mangled Italian seduction (“Mozzarella! Dove é la farmacia?!”) drives Wanda wild.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Directed by Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Shown: Kevin Kline (as Otto West), Jamie Lee Curtis (as Wanda Gershwitz), John Cleese (as Archie Leach)
Then there’s Michael Palin as Ken, the stuttering, animal-loving, bumbling accomplice. His comic innocence provides both the most heart-warming laughs and the deepest pity, especially when his attempts to do harm to an elderly lady accidentally wreak havoc on her innocent dogs. Together, the cast feels electric – wildly free, constantly experimenting, and always willing to push scenes to extremes.
The Joy of Controlled Chaos
The film opens with a jewel heist in London, uniting Wanda, Otto, Ken, and their leader George. Quickly, greed and betrayal splinter the group. George hides the loot before being arrested, and Wanda tries to seduce Cleese’s barrister to uncover the jewel’s hiding place. From there, it’s a frenzy of backstabbing, mistaken identities, and desperate double-crosses, all unfolding with breathtaking, wild pace.
The script is sharp and merciless, blending slapstick, screwball timing, and unexpected bursts of violence. Doors slam, guns fire, cars screech, and somewhere in the middle of it all, someone really does get run over by a steamroller. The whole film plays like a stage farce shot through with danger, its rhythm closer to His Girl Friday or a Billy Wilder caper than a conventional ‘80s comedy.
What keeps it alive isn’t just the story – it’s the sense that the cast is having outrageous fun. Kline reportedly wanted to eat real fish in one notorious scene and had to be talked into using gelatin stand-ins instead. Dedication? Hell, yes.
Why It Still Matters
Rewatching A Fish Called Wanda today, what strikes hardest is how rare comedies like this have become. It’s fast, surprising, and written with an intelligence that never underestimates the audience. Beneath the slapstick lies a sly commentary on class, greed, loyalty and seduction, all played with both precision and abandon.
It also shows the astonishing range of its performers – Curtis at her sharpest, Cleese at his most complex, Palin at his most innocent, and Kline proving himself one of the most versatile actors of his generation. Few could leap so effortlessly from the unhinged brilliance of Otto to the devastating gravitas he later displayed in roles like The Anniversary Party or Disclaimer.
So, where to watch this jewel of a jewel-heist comedy? It’s available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, or Amazon Prime. Completely worth it. It’s guaranteed it will make you roll with laughter.
~ by Dora Endre ~
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