A Fish Called Wanda

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A Fish Called Wanda

R

Released Jul 15, 1988

1h 47m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

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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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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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

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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

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

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

Aug 19, 2022

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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

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Sabra P

If anything, what Cleese and director Charles Crichton celebrate with A Fish Called Wanda is the art of the ensemble. Getting the pieces together is difficult, but when it works, it's a masterpiece.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

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Audience Member

Meh. I understand it was well received in the 80's and I never saw it than- but watching now in 2025- it's a silly movie. Not a huge monty python fan and I'm puzzled people thought it was funny at all, I didn't laugh once and thought it really silly. The heist is fantastically short, a few minutes, and the premise and aftermath aren't smart- very mediocre. I won't be keeping in my collection but at least I got to watch it so I can say I had and not watch it again. Hat's off to Curtis, she's got an ass any man would've loved to suck on.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

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Gareth v

Witty, well written comedy that is filled with some fantastic characters. One of the best comedies of 1988.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

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Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 47 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $60,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis as lovers from both sides of the pond as the British say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

Dana B

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

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

A.L.Jude P

The character development was poorly executed and lacked depth, which significantly diminished the quality of the movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

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Charles Crichton

Director

John Cleese

Director

John Cleese

Archie Leach

Jamie Lee Curtis

Wanda Gershwitz

Kevin Kline

Otto West

Michael Palin

Ken Pile

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

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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

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