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A Fish Called Wanda (Collector's Edition) [DVD]

John Cleese (Actor, Director, Writer), Jamie Lee Curtis (Actor), Charles Crichton (Director, Writer) Rated:

Format: DVD

3,696 ratings

IMDb7.5/10.0

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January 31, 2006

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April 17, 2004

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A Fish Called Wanda

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Format	Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Collector's Edition, DVD
Contributor	Charles Crichton, Geoffrey Palmer, Michael Palin, Neville Phillips, Mark Elwes, Maria Aitken, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Peter Jonfield, Cynthia Cleese, Patricia Hayes, Kevin Kline, Tom Georgeson See more
Language	English
Runtime	1 hour and 48 minutes

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Product Description

Tour-de-force performances from an unparalleled comic cast highlight this much-loved hit that Roger Ebert calls "the funniest movie I have seen in a long time." Monty Pythoners John Cleese and Michael Palin (Search For The Holy Grail, The Meaning Of Life) join Oscar® winner Kevin Kline (In & Out) and Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies) in an entertainment so impeccably timed and executed that Time Magazine hailed it as: "Genius, [a film that] redefines a great comic tradition."

Four conniving jewel thieves...three yorkshire terriers...two heaving bosoms and one proper British barrister. It all adds up to "a non-stop barrage of...outrageous plot twists and over-the top performances" (L.A. Weekly) when a girl called Wanda (Curtis) tries to deceive her Nietzche-quoting boyfriend (Kline), an animal-loving hitman (Palin) and an embarrassment-prone counselor (Cleese) out of a fortune in jewels in this hilariously funny farce.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.53 inches; 4 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Collector's Edition, DVD
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 48 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ April 17, 2004
Actors ‏ : ‎ John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken
Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ French, Spanish
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French, Spanish
Studio ‏ : ‎ MGM (Video & DVD)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000E33W1C
Writers ‏ : ‎ Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Best Sellers Rank: #30,745 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #4,050 in Comedy (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
3,696 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		81%
4 star		10%
3 star		5%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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iPiano7

Irresistible humor, clever story!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2022

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I have many favorite comedy movies, so choosing a favorite is near-impossible. “A Fish Called Wanda” ranks highly on my list.
I love a good farce, and if written well, can make for a healthy amount of belly laughs. I find complicated plots like this one to be a challenge to pull off, and I’m happy that this film does the job.
All of the acting is great, and I felt that Michael Palin’s stutter (not a spoiler, it’s revealed early in the film) was not out of ill intentions, in fact, he played the most likable character in my opinion. His facial expressions reflect his sharp and deadpan delivery. I expect no less from a Monty Python veteran, which brings me to approve of John Cleese’s performance.
The rest of the cast is silly and fun. Everyone’s timing is impeccable, in particular Curtis’ and Kline’s. They are funny in a subtle and equally ridiculous manner. I recommend it as an enjoyable flick on a boring, rainy Saturday.

One person found this helpful

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Mark Vasallo

2nd Time watching this since 1988

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 9, 2022

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When I first saw this I think I was 13. Everyone kept talking about what a great movie this was and all the accolades of movie of the year but when I finally sat down to watch it, I really didn't see what all the hype was about. I really didnt like the movie. What I did like about it was how beautiful Jaime Lee Curtis was in this film. It took me a while to warm up to her in Trading Places but this movie she was just drop dead gorgeous. The reason why I disliked this movie the first time because I didn't get the plot or the humor. After like 34 years later, I decided to watch this movie again, and I would have to say its a decent film. I think my only misgiving is Jaime Lee Curtis character Wanda, she reminds me of a sociopath who is manipulative and shady. Other then her sex appeal she's just not really likeable character due to the fact she uses people for her own benefit. It would have been nice if they explored her feelings with John Cleese character especially if they are real.

One person found this helpful

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Funny heist comedy written and starring John Cleese

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 9, 2020

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The fact that this movie featured John Cleese and Michael Palin was reason enough to watch it. Cleese also wrote the story which was an added bonus. It was a comedy heist film.

George (Tom Georgeson) has a plan to rob a bank with the help of Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis), Ken (Michael Palin) and Otto (Kevin Kline). Wanda is manipulating all the men and plans to betray them all. When Otto rats out George to get rid of him Archie Leach (John Cleese) becomes his lawyer. That makes him another target for Wanda.

Cleese wrote a great script. Otto is an idiot. Ken has a stutter. Leach is a completely nondescript lawyer who is completely unhappy. Amongst this odd mix of men Wanda is the one with the brains.

As would be expected there are plenty of hilarious moments. Wanda is trying to seduce Leach when Otto shows up because he’s insanely jealous. When he hears them talking about how stupid he is he pops up and demands an apology from Leach who refuses. Otto then hangs him upside down out of a window. Ken on the other hand is tasked with assassinating an old lady that saw George at the robbery. Instead of killing the woman however he keeps on taking out her dogs, which greatly hurts Ken because he’s an animal lover.

Overall the movie is a good laugh.
C

4 people found this helpful

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Orlando J.

Spot-on Comedy Classic from Pythons and Friends

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 21, 2018

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I love this movie. Take a couple of ex-Pythons, add Jamie Lee Curtis, a mind-bending performance from Kevin Kline, and an old-school madcap caper plot and ... you can't lose? I had to buy it after stumbling over a YouTube documentary about the making of the film. John Cleese apparently wrote it, and thought of Kevin Kline for the Otto character after they worked together on Silverado (this led to my also buying Silverado, but let's not go down that rabbit-hole for the moment).

Yes, Wanda's got a slightly dated 80's vibe -- the music cues are pretty on the nose, and there are couple of insensitive jokes that wouldn't fly today. But the cast is amazing top to bottom, anchored by Kevin Kline, who won a darkhorse Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his crazed portrayal of ex-CIA killer Otto. You can see Cleese's satirical mind at play, skewering Anglo / American relations left and right. Cleese's sober barrister character lives in mortal fear of embarrassment, so of course he falls for a pretty American criminal and finds himself dancing naked in front of a family on vacation. Kline's Otto is a pastiche of over-the-top American symbolism -- simultaneously a dangerous physical powerhouse, an egomaniacal pervert, and a self-styled intellectual who doesn't quite get there (Otto, having just been called an ape: "Apes don't read PHILOSOPHY!" Wanda: "Yes, they do, Otto. They just don't understand it."). Whenever confused or out of options, he whips out a gun and attempts to shoot the problem.

And so on. Michael Palin brilliantly serves up some of the broadest comedy in the film as an animal-loving crook with a stutter (I mentioned the insensitive jokes? "It's K-K-Ken, c-c-coming to k-kill me!"). Jamie Lee Curtis has great (perhaps under appreciated) comedy chops of her own, and brings charm and intelligence to what could have been a by-the-numbers con-woman role. Maria Aitken as Cleese's character Archie's wife handily owns a scene with Kline, which (per the documentary) she partly ad-libbed.

Quotes and scenes from A Fish Called Wanda still pop into my head unbidden on a regular basis. To a degree, the movie is a really string of brilliant comedic bits, but the caper story holds it together well enough, and I approve of the slightly sunnier ending that was apparently retrofitted when American audiences didn't care for the darker one Cleese had in mind. I bought it because it's worthy of regular re-watching, and I don't feel that way about many films.

Five stars for a real comedy classic.

32 people found this helpful

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Mike B

Interesting, entertaining, exciting and very funny.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 9, 2020

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A very good film (very good plot, very good script, very good acting, very good cinematography and very funny). Due to the DVD format, I was able to skip over the "infamous" fish eating scene, which had always put me off seeing the film in the past. John Cleese's optional commentary on DVD 1 is very interesting and informative. As are the various documentaries on DVD 2. A lot of swearing ("adult humor"). Overall, very good value for money and a great tribute to all involved.

One person found this helpful

Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth

B-b-b-b-brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 16, 2015

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Charles (Ealing) Crichton’s swansong proved to be a riotous black comedy with a host of star turns – it even features a very youthful-looking Stephen Fry in an early role. Based around a diamond-heist perpetrated by an eclectic bunch of villains – including Tom Georgeson’s menacing mastermind George, Kevin Kline’s buffoonish gun-lover Otto, Jamie-Lee Curtis’ lissom Wanda, and Michael Palin’s stuttering fish fanatic Ken. Completing the cast is John Cleese as browbeaten lawyer Archie, who falls in love with Wanda and becomes caught-up in the mayhem that ensues when George is framed by Wanda and Otto and put on trial.

Memorable scenes include Otto torturing Ken by stuffing hot chips up his nose and eating his pet fish one by one; Archie dancing naked for Wanda and being surprised by the new tenants of the flat they are in; and the final act set in Heathrow airport. It’s fair to say however, that the movie is simply one great scene after another, and with all the cast at the top of their games, this remains a true British comedy classic – despite the musical score and some key cultural shifts, feeling a little dated.

2 people found this helpful

ponyboy

Classic comedy thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 2, 2015

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I'd seen this classic comedy a few times when it first came out in 1988 but hadn't seen it for years, and fancied seeing it again, so I bought the Blu-ray. It's still great fun. Four criminals - two Brits (Michael Palin and Tom Georgeson) and two Americans (Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline) - plot and carry out a jewel robbery in London, but then start to betray each other. Meanwhile, a British barrister (John Cleese) stuck in a loveless marriage becomes involved with the woman of the gang. And don't forget the fish called Wanda, which plays a very important part in the action. This is a comedy-thriller-romance-farce, and an updated version of an Ealing comedy; it's even directed by Charles Crichton, the acclaimed Ealing director who came out of retirement to direct this. Lots of great culture-clash humour between the British and American characters, John Cleese and Michael Palin are at their comic best, Kevin Kline won an Oscar as the psychotic Otto, who's not nearly as clever as he thinks he is (Otto, that is, not Kline!), Tom Georgeson seethes with menace, and Jamie Lee Curtis is one step ahead of everyone else. See it and enjoy!

3 people found this helpful

Jonathan Ward

A Fish Called Wanda

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 28, 2019

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A Fish Called Wanda is a classic 1980s comedy. Great acting and good screenplay together with a fine plot make it a memorable movie to experience. Kevin Kline won an oscar for best supporting actor in this film but other actors in this production also did a grand job eg john cleese, jamie lee curtis and michael palin. Well recommended.

One person found this helpful

Active Yaw

Bad Quality Stands Out On Bluray

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 5, 2015

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I love this film a lot but watching it on Bluray is a worse experience than watching it on Dvd as the blemishes and scratches in film really do stand out and it is very off-putting. It doesn't look like they spent any time at all touching the film up for the Bluray transfer which is disappointing.

6 people found this helpful

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A Fish Called Wanda (Collector's Edition) [DVD]

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