A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Andrew picked the DVD we watched the other night, and he chose A Fish Called Wanda, as he'd never seen it before! This shocked me, as I've watched it on numerous occassions, I thought it was one of those films everyone has seen - how presumptous of me. Anyway, it gave me a chance to re-evalute it afresh, as it's a long time since I've seen it. 

I'd not appreciated how tightly plotted Wanda is - the double, triple, multi crossing by and of each character can take some following. As a result I think the first half hour is not as funny as the rest since the storyline needs setting up. I also used to think Kevin Kline was a bit OTT, but his character is just right, and not as irritating as I remember. It's funny how your tastes and opinions of a film can change as you get older. 

Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis are very good, but the real comedy comes from the British side of the cast, particularly in Michael Palin's subplot which sees his character try to kill off an elderly witness, resulting in the animal-loving stutterer Ken killing the woman's dogs. John Cleese, who wrote the script, is reassuringly hilarious, and not afraid to get naked for his art! I also laughed out loud every time Maria Aitken and Cynthia Cleese had a scene - they played Cleese's wife and daughter, respectively (Cynthia being his real-life daughter) - as they had such wonderful lines. 

Wanda is such a great British movie - small yet perfectly formed, with an emphasis on plot, comedy and character that many modern US comedies (your Scary Movies or Epic Movies) don't even bother with. It's a deserved classic.