Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Kline)
Charles Crichton - Known
for Ealing Comedies such as The Lavender Hill Mob - and John Cleese - Known for
the silly Monty Python and Fawlty Towers Series' - came together in 1988 to
make what can arguably be the last Ealing comedy. It follows a bank heist for diamonds,
which will become what drives all of the characters against each other.
Both sides of the Atlantic
are present in the battle. The brits are represented by a surprisingly straight
John Cleese as a barrister, the brains behind the crime Georges Thomason
(Georgeson) and Michael Palin as Stuttering animal lover Ken. Cleese isn't as
compelling as Basil Fawlty or his other silly characters here and seeing him as
a romantic lead is almost frightening. Palin's journey is a lot more funny as
he faces his fears and does terrible things that changes his character
But the Americans have
brought stiff competition. Jamie Lee Curtis's Wanda is compelling as the sneaky
thief whose loyalties don't seem to lie with anyone. But it's Kevin Kline's
performance as the dim-witted arrogant Otto that brings the film together. His
sneery remarks and slow mind create a character that is laughable but also
dangerous.
For most of the film, the
humour is kept rather low key with just a few “laugh out loud” moments on the
journey. Then we reach the climax where things get out of control. You can see
John Cleese's crazy sense of humour leaking out for all to see.
A Fish Called Wanda is
perhaps for a different audience than the Monty Python films but it gives the
right amount of comedy for it to succeed. The English vs. American clash
will give everybody a side to root for as we see the best and worst of both.
****Good
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