A brilliant film that helped define a genre

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The movie is so witty and entertaining I thought it was better than any Monty Python flick I've ever seen, what with three of those players and Jamie Lee Curtis thrown into the mix. No doubt one needs to pay attention because the jewel caper at the center of the story carries with it an entire set of twists and turns before Wanda (Curtis) makes off with the prize. Many of the situations presented are patently absurd, but what the heck, they're made almost credible by a talented cast working with quick wits and a penchant for hilarity. Kevin Kline is particularly entertaining by being an irritating character; when he once again sniffed his armpit while hanging on for dear life outside the bedroom window I just about hit the floor. The trivia section here on IMDb states that John Cleese actually chose the name of Archie Leach as a tribute to Cary Grant because they were born only twenty miles apart and Cleese felt it was the closest he could ever get to being Grant. Personally, I thought the whole film might have been a tribute to Grant considering what a screwball comedy it was. If you're wondering why it's called "A Fish Called Wanda" you'll have to watch the picture. I wonder if Otto swallowed any of those fish by mistake.

Set in London four thieves have planned a diamond heist; they are Englishmen Ken and George and American 'brother and sister' Otto and Wendy. The heist is a success but then Otto and Wendy turn on the others by reporting George to the police; unfortunately for them he has moved the jewels to a safety deposit box and given the key to Ken. Now the serous plotting begins; Ken is tasked with eliminating a key witness against George while Wendy attempts to seduce his barrister to try to learn if Georges has mentioned the location of the jewels… Otto just makes everything worse.This '80s comedy is as funny as every despite being almost thirty years old… some humour, like sticking chips up somebody's nose, doesn't go out of style. The story is relatively simple; for the most part the humour comes from the great characters. Kevin Kline is hilarious as the terminally stupid Otto; a man who thinks he is an intellectual and almost guarantees that their plans fail. Michael Palin is on great form as the stuttering Ken; an animal lover who keeps accidentally killing his target's terriers. His fellow Python John Cleese really impresses as Archie Leach, the initially stuffy barrister who falls for Wendy, played by the excellent Jamie Lee Curtis. The humour is varied so if one gag doesn't amuse you the next probably will… although I suspect most of them will amuse most viewers. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to any adult wanting a good laugh; some of the content means it isn't really suitable for younger viewers.

From the brilliant comedic mind of John Cleese comes this hilarious heist caper comedy about jewel thieves entangled in webs of lies, duplicity and jealousy. Boasting an excellent cast including Cleese himself as a lawyer charged with defending the heist's mastermind, Jamie Lee Curtis as the titular Wanda (displaying a fabulous mix of sexuality and controlled comedic wit), Michael Palin as the stuttering and put-upon Ken, the most impressionable gang member and rounding out the talent is the Academy Award winning performance of Kevin Kline as the brainless, hilariously egotistical and extremely jealous Otto. The cast plays beautifully off each other as they insult, compliment and weasel their ways into our funny bones.The script is side-splitting and full of memorable exchanges and one-liners (most of the memorable quips coming from Kline himself, but also from Curtis, Cleese and Palin). The humor is crisp and sharp, hitting a few missteps in the middle but quickly regains its footing. Slapstick comedy heightens the hilarity and will have you laughing so hard.

"Total farce, so many gags; it's like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon": my friend's unenthusiastic reactions through a mouthful of somewhat dry baked potato.And he was right. A Fish Called Wanda definitely has tons of pomp and circumstance, but lacks any real structure apart from following around a key, secured in a locket, which Jamie Lee Curtis is going to use to open a safe that will make her rich.The (sort of) positives: A *few* moments of passable situational comedy, some fun torture scenes (when Kline quizzes the stuttering Michael Palin about Nietzsche, stuffing french fries into his nose with non-response, before slurping down all of Mike's aquarium life), some semi-funny lines ('I've worn dresses with higher IQs' & ' The London Underground is not a political movement!').Really, you should just pull up stills of the most not-to-be-missed feature of the film: Kevin Kline's wardrobe. With the black ball cap and trench coat. Possibly the best outfit of any cinematic heist-meister. Does he really put his pants on one leg at a time?