Movie · 1988 · Comedy, Crime · 1h 49m · R · English
Curator score: 7.4/10 (296.9K ratings)
A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood.
Overview
While a diamond advocate attempts to steal a collection of diamonds, troubles arise when he realises he’s not the only one after the collection.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.4/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.74/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 80
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Charles Crichton
Production
Prominent Features, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Fish Productions, Michael Shamberg Productions
Cast
Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken, Tom Georgeson, Cynthia Cleese, Patricia Hayes, Geoffrey Palmer, Mark Elwes, Neville Phillips, Peter Jonfield, Jeremy Child, Stephen Fry, Ken Campbell, Al Hunter Ashton, Roger Hume, Roger Brierley, Llewellyn Rees, Michael Percival
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A fast, sharply written crime farce with elite comic performances, especially from Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s clever, nasty, and broadly accessible, with enough British-American culture clash and escalating chaos to keep the momentum high.
Best for
fans of crime comedies and caper movies
viewers who like fast dialogue and escalating misunderstandings
people who enjoy broad, character-driven ensemble comedy
fans of 1980s studio comedies with a sharper edge
Skip if
you dislike farce, sexual innuendo, or cartoonish cruelty
you want a grounded crime story with realistic stakes
you’re sensitive to animal harm gags or mean-spirited humor
you prefer subtle comedy over big performances and loud punchlines
Overview
A Fish Called Wanda is one of those rare comedies that feels both tightly engineered and gleefully unruly. The plot is a classic double-cross caper, but the real engine is the chemistry among the four leads, who keep finding new ways to turn greed, lust, and stupidity into escalation. It’s the kind of movie where every scene seems designed to topple into the next one, and the timing is almost absurdly precise.
Worth noting
What keeps it from feeling merely busy is how distinct the comic voices are. John Cleese brings exasperated precision, Jamie Lee Curtis plays charm and calculation with real bite, Michael Palin makes decency painfully vulnerable, and Kevin Kline goes fully feral in a performance that never stops inventing itself. The film’s humor can be outrageous, even abrasive, but it lands because the characters are so committed to their own ridiculousness.
Bottom line
It’s also a very specific kind of transatlantic comedy: polished enough for mainstream audiences, but mischievous enough to feel a little dangerous. If you like crime stories that turn into social combat, or comedies where intelligence is constantly undercut by appetite, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 1440 likes
Have been wanting to rewatch this movie for a few years and I’m so glad I finally did. Near perfect. Didn’t realize how quietly influential it was to me. Kevin Kline is so obviously the standout star of this movie that it’s wild we didn’t get countless copies of this film and this type of character for the next few years. Everything he does is funny. Michael Palin and John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis are having some much fun here. Tom Georgeson plays a character named George Thomason and that is worth an extra entire star.
mina · 1105 likes
The only time i’ve ever laughed when a dog died in a movie 😭😭😭😭😭
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 937 likes
Every time I see Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie I think, Christopher Guest better act right
Chris 🍉 (3.5★) · 925 likes
kevin kline still fights for gay rights while being homophobic and THATS why he deserved the oscar