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A Fish Called Wanda

© Wyn Middleton

A Fish Called Wanda is a comic crime caper in the style of the old Ealing Studios comedies such as the Lavender Hill Mob or The Man in the White Suit. The 1988-film was directed by Charles Crichton, a veteran of those days.

It's a wacky comedy complete with steamroller gags, embarrassing nudity and large crates flattening small dogs.

The film concerns the misadventures of an oddly matched set of diamond thieves including Jamie Lee Curtis as the other Wanda, Kevin Kline as Otto, her 'brother', and the Python Michael Palin as the hapless, stuttering Ken with a soft spot for fish, dogs and other assorted fauna.

John Cleese is hilarious as uptight barrister Archie Leach (named for Cary Grant's real name), who gets involved with a sexy con artist Curtis and becomes a foil for the other three as they all try to outfox each other and escape with the loot.

The but the true acting honours belong to Oscar-winning Kevin Kline who gives a hysterical, over-the-top performance as the sociopathic criminal.

Cleese wrote the screenplay.

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