Critic Reviews

Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) a score of 3.3024 out of 4

based on (38) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(15)

Very Good

(22)

Good

(1)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Time Out (--)

A perfectly old-fashioned romantic comedy, big on caper, generous on Ealing, and heavy on the twisted stereotypes. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Time Out (--)

Movie Addict (John Ulmer)

Kline's motto will go down in the history of the best mottos in motion picture history... ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Movie Addict (John Ulmer)

filmcritic.com (Pete Croatto)

it's the right time to watch A Fish Called Wanda, so it can finally get the quotable legacy it so richly deserves ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at filmcritic.com (Pete Croatto)

7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)

No pun intended, but all the stars aligned for this film. It was the perfect blend of British and American humor. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at 7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)

Rolling Stone (Hal Erickson)

If it is indeed possible for a film to be both stylish and tasteless, then A Fish Called Wanda certainly fills the bill. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Rolling Stone (Hal Erickson)

Variety (Staff (Not Credited))

Curtis steals the show with her keen sense of comic timing and sneaky little grins and asides. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Variety (Staff (Not Credited))

Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

It'll keep you amused enough to sit still and even remember it fondly. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

DVD Verdict (Sean McGinnis)

It really is too bad that such a terrific movie got such shoddy treatment from the folks over at MGM. I guess they just figured, "oh well, its just a comedy and won't make much money." Too bad. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at DVD Verdict (Sean McGinnis)

Orbital Reviews

A group of jewel thieves, lead by George (Tom Georgeson), steals tens of millions of dollars worth of jewels, but after they flee to separate locations, the plan becomes a mess. Only George knows the location of the jewels, but Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Orbital Reviews

Spirituality and Practice (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Delightful caper movie which gives its actors the chance to rise to new comic heights. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Spirituality and Practice (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Moviehole

Let's face it the story's not much - a band of jewel thieves trying to outsmart each other to find out where the stash has been hidden, whilst the femme fatale of the troupe charms the pants off a Barrister (Cleese) who may have half of an idea - ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Moviehole

DVD Net (Paul Dossett)

Years ago, when I still qualified for a concession ticket, I went to see Twins at the Boronia Hoyts multiplex. It was part of a double-feature with an English film I'd never heard of, and while I was reasonably entertained by Twins (hey, I was young!) I ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at DVD Net (Paul Dossett)

Movie-Vault.com ("Beatnik")

Some of you might notice that both John Cleese and Michael Palin star in this British comedy. If you're looking for Monty Python style comedy, you'll be disappointed in this movie. No knights who say Nee, no giant feet coming out of nowhere. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Movie-Vault.com ("Beatnik")

DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

How can you resist a film that has Michael Palin running over Kevin Kline with a steamroller after Kline has eaten PalinÂ´s favorite tropical ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

DVD Net (Amy Flower)

Smarting somewhat from the essentially complete and utter failure of his film Clockwise everywhere pretty much other than Sweden (we wonder if their Prime Minister got to see it?), always the glutton for punishment John Cleese went back to the drawing ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at DVD Net (Amy Flower)

Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

John Cleese wrote, produced and starred in this particular movie, and every critic flipped out. "The best comedy in years!" "Funny as hell!" Right? Wrong! It's a caper about the theft of 13 million pounds in diamonds by 4 unlikely criminals. There's ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

A FISH CALLED WANDA ($25) is a film whose hilarity knows no bounds. This film is an atypical English caper comedy that deploys American sensibilities, which made it a crossover hit here in the United States. A FISH CALLED WANDA stars John Cleese as ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

New York Times (Vincent Canby)

The best thing about ''A Fish Called Wanda'' is the anticipation of it. ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at New York Times (Vincent Canby)

DVD MovieGuide

While Rhett Butler may have uttered the most famous cinematic profanity, his comment to Miss O'Hara doesn't stand as my favorite use of foul language in a film. That honor has to go to Kevin Kline's Otto in A Fish Called Wanda, a character who ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at DVD MovieGuide

Edinburgh U Film Society (Malcolm Maclaren)

Blessed with inspired casting and a great collection of characters with their own personal hang-ups - Jamie Lee Curtis's Wanda who likes to be talked to in Italian; Kevin Kline's crazy Otto (with a passion for Nietzsche) who thinks that the London ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Malcolm Maclaren)

Reel.com

Directed and co-written by Charles Crichton (with star John Cleese), the British film veteran who crafted the fantastic Lavender Hill Mob (1952), A Fish Called Wanda is a daring ribald comedy with a decidedly screwball touch. Complete with perfectly ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at Reel.com

The Onion A.V. Club

Apart from Terry Gilliam, the most creatively productive Monty Python member in a non-Python setting has to be John Cleese, who masterminded the '70s TV series Fawlty Towers and the 1988 comedy A Fish Called Wanda. The latter was especially sweet: It was ...read the complete Fish Called Wanda movie review at The Onion A.V. Club