A Fish Called Wanda

Play trailer

A Fish Called Wanda

R

Released Jul 15, 1988

1h 47m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

British gangster George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) and his hapless aide, Ken Pile (Michael Palin), draft a pair of arrogant Americans, grifter Wanda Gerschwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and weapons expert Otto West (Kevin Kline), for a massive diamond heist. When the job goes badly, Wanda attempts to seduce George's stuffy lawyer, Archie Leach (John Cleese), to find out where George hid the diamonds. Meanwhile, Ken repeatedly attempts to kill an elderly woman (Patricia Hayes) who witnessed the robbery.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Smartly written, smoothly directed, and solidly cast, A Fish Called Wanda offers a classic example of a brainy comedy with widespread appeal.

Read Critics Reviews

John Pym

Sight & Sound

To those who appreciate Ealing comedy (which is to say all right-thinking people), watching the film is like chancing on a Hogarth sketch in grandmother's attic, clearly and unmistakably signed by the Master.

Jan 16, 2020

Full Review

Peter Travers

People Magazine

Putting heart and heat into a film that could have easily slid by on silliness, Cleese proves himself a master actor.

Jul 30, 2013

Full Review

Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of what is surely the year's most original and daring comedy is that John Cleese is not the funniest performer in it. Believe it or not, that honor goes to none other than the usually somber Kevin Kline.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 30, 2013

Full Review

Eoghan Lyng

PopMatters

Best of all, A Fish Called Wanda showed that Cleese – closer to 50 than his character’s age of 40 – could tackle the intricacies of romance.

Feb 3, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... one of the funniest comedies of the eighties.

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The bright characterizations, vivid performances, and unexpectedly uproarious set-pieces have lost little of their luster over the ensuing decades.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 22, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

from the performances and great characters to the wildness of the humor, this hysterical and compellingly chaotic comedy is so wildly funny it is almost incomparable to modern cinema. it is 101% worth a watch for anyone who mildly enjoys gross-out humor. 9.5/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Chinu D

It’s a really good movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

Full Review

Gerry M

After many attempts to watch this, I never caught on to the story or liked or related to any of the characters - a dud in my book.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/12/24

Full Review

Lisa M

One of the worst movies ever made!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/19/24

Full Review

Aender S

Great comedy with a first class cast. Foremost you've got to appreciate Kevin Kline playing an utter idiot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/24

Full Review

fred f

Loved the acting, the story. Humor is 10 out of 10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Charles Crichton

Director

John Cleese

Director

John Cleese

Archie Leach

Jamie Lee Curtis

Wanda Gershwitz

Kevin Kline

Otto West

Michael Palin

Ken Pile

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Have You Got a Stutter?

2:25

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Fish and Chips

2:14

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Striptease Surprise

2:21

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Upside-Down Apology

1:27

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Ken's Revenge

2:31

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Apes Don't Read Philosophy

1:54

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - He Doesn't Have a Clue

2:04

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - The Language of Love

1:39

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Loosening Ken's Lips

1:28

A Fish Called Wanda: Official Clip - Otto Hates the British

1:56

View more videos

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

62%

71%

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

Watchlist

Get Shorty

89%

70%

Get Shorty

Watchlist

Soul Plane

18%

51%

Soul Plane

Watchlist

The Couch Trip

33%

44%

The Couch Trip

Watchlist

Outrageous Fortune

58%

60%

Outrageous Fortune

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

British gangster George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) and his hapless aide, Ken Pile (Michael Palin), draft a pair of arrogant Americans, grifter Wanda Gerschwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and weapons expert Otto West (Kevin Kline), for a massive diamond heist. When the job goes badly, Wanda attempts to seduce George's stuffy lawyer, Archie Leach (John Cleese), to find out where George hid the diamonds. Meanwhile, Ken repeatedly attempts to kill an elderly woman (Patricia Hayes) who witnessed the robbery.

Director: Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Producer: Michael Shamberg
Screenwriter: John Cleese
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Prominent Features
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 15, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.0M
Runtime: 1h 47m

Most Popular at Home Now