A Fish Called Wanda
Often cited by film fans as the āFunniest Film Of All Timeā, this viewer would actually be prone to agree that it may very well be the funniest of the 80s. Written by and starring Monty Python Legend John Cleese and directed by British filmmaking icon Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob), the story follows a group of jewel thieves who pull off a $20 million dollar heist, only to descend into a litany of backstabbing and double crosses while trying to be the one to make off with the loot. When the leader of the group is turned in to the police, his lawyer (Cleese) prepares to make his case, only to be approached and seduced by his clientās lady friend and accomplice played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtisā Wanda is certainly a snake at the beginning of the film, using her feminine wiles to manipulate all the male characters, but is soon won over and redeemed by Cleeseās essential goodness when she realizes his feelings for her are true. Complicating matters is another accomplice and lover of hers, Otto (Kevin Kline), who is masquerading to the others as her ābrotherā, whose insane jealousy and wacked-out stupidity provide the impetus for much of the story. Indeed, it may be one of the greatest, most manic comic performances of all time, and the amazing fact that Kline won an Oscar for his role (ultra-rare in the comedy genre) is testament to that assertion. Also in the mix is another accomplice played by Cleeseās old Python mate Michael Palin, a chronic stutterer (who gets made fun of constantly by Otto) who sets out to bump off a little old lady who could be a key prosecution witness (with darkly hilarious results). The secret to this film is not just the script, but the heart and chemistry among the main actors which is just phenomenal: Cleeseās Archie Leach is stuck in a loveless marriage to an upper-crust socialite, and sees in Wanda a chance to be liberated and free, as reflected in a monologue for the character (which comes across as the most personal thing Cleese has ever written) where he laments about the frustration that being an upper-class Brit can bring, with the stifled, uptight, perpetually correct persona they must maintain that he has more than grown tired of. As for the laughs, itās amazing that 20+ years later that there are moments that never stop being funny, whether itās Palinās reaction to learning that Otto was ābeaten upā by his father all the time, to Otto pretending to be gay in order to distract Palin, to Cleese bringing champagne for Wanda only to find his wife sitting there, to him being caught naked and prancing around a apartment by a family (with the young daughterās response being priceless), to Otto stopping a āburglarā from breaking into a home, to Cleeseās assertion to Otto that America is not all that great by bringing up North Vietnam, the film remains witty, at times profane, and altogether hilarious all these years later. The laughs are spread around plenty for all in the cast, and the mixing of British and American comedy styles is damn near perfect. In the end, if todayās moviegoer hasnāt had their mind turned to mush by Epic Movie and Not Another Piece Of Crap, they should give this a watch, laugh their ass off, and see how itās doneā¦
10/10