A Fish Called Wanda

1988
15
1h 48m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

159K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:29

Caper Dark Comedy Screwball Comedy Slapstick Comedy Crime

In London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool the very proper barrister Archibald Le... Read allIn London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool the very proper barrister Archibald Leach.In London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool the very proper barrister Archibald Leach.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

159K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,905

370

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 22 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:29

Trailer [OV]

Photos143

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Michael Palin's father stuttered, so Palin used a lot of his real-life experience when playing Ken Pile, including the fact that Ken's stutter is less pronounced around people he trusts (George Thomason and Wanda Gershwitz) and worse around people with whom he is uncomfortable (Otto West).

Goofs
When Otto fires his gun on the safe in the hideout, the gun makes the sound of a silenced weapon, but his gun is not equipped with a silencer.

Quotes
Wanda: [after Otto breaks in on Wanda and Archie in Archie's flat and hangs him out the window] I was dealing with something delicate, Otto. I'm setting up a guy who's incredibly important to us, who's going to tell me where the loot is and if they're going to come and arrest you. And you come loping in like Rambo without a jockstrap and you dangle him out a fifth-floor window. Now, was that smart? Was it shrewd? Was it good tactics? Or was it stupid?
Otto West: Don't call me stupid.
Wanda: Oh, right! To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you. I've worn dresses with higher IQs. But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto West: Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don't understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple of things, OK? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself." And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.

Crazy credits
Archie and Wanda were married in Rio, had seventeen children, and founded a leper colony.

Alternate versions
Approximately 2 minutes were removed from the original run time by India's Censor Board to achieve an 'A' (adults only) rating (Cert No.: 1975).

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Dead Pool/Phantasm II/Midnight Run/Boyfriends and Girlfriends/Die Hard (1988)

Soundtracks
Nel blu, dipinto di blu
Written by Franco Migliacci and Domenico Modugno
Performed by Domenico Modugno

User reviews297

Featured review

10/10

something's fishy (in a good way)

Portraying a heist gone awry, "A Fish Called Wanda" goes all out in every way possible. Maybe the whole thing is little more than an excuse for a bunch of silly situations, but they have some great ones here. Whether it's John Cleese's dance, Kevin Kline's rips at England, Michael Palin's stuttering, or Jamie Lee Curtis's deadpan performance, they know how to do everything here. I can't describe how funny the movie is; you just have to see it. And you may very well die laughing - or if nothing else, you'll want to take a trip to England. Kevin Kline definitely deserved his Oscar. And of course, the cast teamed up again for the equally funny (maybe even better) "Fierce Creatures". This is a comedy classic in every way.

Oh, and in case Kevin Kline is reading this: Happy birthday! You're my favorite actor!