| | | "A Tale of Murder, Lust, Greed, Revenge and Seafood."
Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, English, Spanish, French, Subtitled, Dubbed
An odd quartet of thieves pulls off "the big jewel job," but only the brains of the operation knows where the gems are hidden. Unfortunately he's in prison and needs his stuffy defense counsel--and so do the other gang members--to go get the stash for them.System Requirements:Running Time: 109 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE
"...hilarious..." Carmel Dagan, Mr. Showbiz
"...unique ability to intertwine the comedic strengths of both English comedy and American comedy." eFilmCritic.com
"It's a deliciously dishy comedy..." Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Editor's Note
In A FISH CALLED WANDA, veteran director Charles Crichton and scriptwriter-star John Cleese create a dazzling quilt from various strands of English and American comedy. The plot, in which four disparate characters attempt a daring heist, comes from Ealing caper comedies, such as Crichton's own THE LAVENDER HILL MOB. Cleese and Michael Palin, as the hit man with a stutter and a love of animals, come from the anarchic tradition of Monty Python. The movie pays savage tribute to another Ealing comedy, THE LADYKILLERS, as Palin attempts to kill a witness to the gang's getaway. The glamorous con woman (Jamie Lee Curtis) is from Preston Sturges's great comedy THE LADY EVE, while Kevin Kline provides his own unique feverish comic intensity.But, in the midst of this breathless comedy, something else happens. The barrister, Archie Leach (Cleese), who is defending one of the gang, is jolted out of his tight-laced British existence by Curtis's life force. And Curtis--like Barbara Stanwyck in THE LADY EVE--falls into her own trap: falling in love with the man she's conning. The 78-year-old Crichton never before had such rich material. He times everything in this brilliant comedy with the precision of a Swiss watch.
Plot Summary
An odd quartet of thieves pulls off "the big jewel job," but only the brains of the operation knows where the gems are hidden. Unfortunately he's in prison and needs his stuffy defense counsel--and so do the other gang members--to go get the stash for them.
| Features | Photo Gallery | | Alternate Ending | | Audio Commentary By John Cleese | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: English, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo | | Behind The Scenes: John Cleese's First Farewell Performance | | Deleted Scenes | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: Something's Fishy & Kulture Vulture | | Fox Previews | | Hidden Features | | Interactive Menus | | Introduction: A Message From John Cleese | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Theatrical Trailers | | Trivia Game |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 5/12/2009 |
| Running Time: 108 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1988 | | Catalog ID: 106254 | | UPC: 00027616062543 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1989) | | | British Academy Awards, John Cleese, Best Actor | | | British Academy Awards, Michael Palin, Best Actor in a Supporting Role | |
Nominee (1989) | | | Golden Globe, A Fish Called Wanda, Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical | |
Winner (1989) | | | Oscar, Kevin Kline, Best Actor in a Supporting Role | |
Nominee (1989) | | | Oscar, Charles Crichton, Best Director | | | Oscar, John Cleese, et. al., Best Writing, Original Screenplay |
| Memorable Quotes| "I used to box for Oxford."----Archie (John Cleese)|"I used to kill for the CIA."----Otto (Kevin Kline) | | "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 I.Qs."----Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) to Otto | | "Wanda, do you have any idea what it's like being English? Being so correct all the time, being so stifled by this dread of, of doing the wrong thing, of saying to someone 'Are you married?' and hearing 'My wife left me this morning,' or saying, uh, 'Do you have children?' and being told they all burned to death on Wednesday? You see, Wanda, we're all terrified of embarrassment. That's why we're so dead. Most of my friends are dead, you know, we have these piles of corpses to dinner. But you're alive, God bless you, and I want to be, I'm so fed up with all this. I want to make love with you, Wanda. I'm a good lover----at least I used to be, back in the early fourteenth century. Can we go to bed?----Archie to Wanda | | "Not you, Ken; you've got a beautiful speaking voice----when it works."----Otto to Ken (Micahel Palin) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Times
"...A convulsively funny affair....It's a smart farce about ingrained cultural differences..." 07/15/1988 p.C1USA Today
"...Wildly out of control as well as wildly funny, this sleeper smash is also Oscar-nominated for script and direction..." 02/23/1989 p.3D ReelViews 9 of 10
A Fish Called Wanda is one of the best-constructed, funniest, and most clever comedies to grace motion picture screens in recent years. It's outrageous, offensive, and even a little sick -- and all the more enjoyable because of it. John Cleese has spent his entire career rejecting conventional comedy, and, on this occasion, there's no denying that he has hit paydirt. - James Berardinelli
DVD Verdict 8 of 10
A Fish Called Wanda brings together the best of British and American humor all rolled around a dash of sex appeal. I had not seen this movie since its theatrical release way back in 1988. To see it again was a real treat. I found myself laughing out loud a number of times this evening. This has to be one of the funniest movies of the decade. Indeed, it ranks in the top 250 movies of all time, based on the votes cast at the IMDb. - Sean McGinnis
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