Review of A Fish Called Wanda (1988) by Bryan W — 12 Apr 2011

An interesting comedy crossing the best of British and American humor as personified by two dauntingly talented performers from either side. Though the characters are born of archetypes, the actors all came ready to elevate their games; Cleese serves up a fitting parody of the upper class twits he lampooned for decades as a member of Monty Python without sacrificing his charm, Palin nervously bumbles and stutters his way through a series of confrontations, and Curtis couldn't be better as a babe with brains and an agenda.

The star of the show, though, is Kline as a none-too-bright thief with an impatient streak to make John McEnroe seem tame. The key is in the subtlety, which in itself is funny as we watch the series of exaggerated orgasmic faces he makes mid-coitus; he's obviously not too dumb, or else he would be a farce, and he's not too violent, or it wouldn't be funny. While striking this balance, he positively nails every line, interaction, and physical gesture, a task so herculean that he was appropriately awarded an Oscar.

The opening heist is lame and most of the rest of the plot is just okay, but as it is just a structure into which jokes are inserted, it doesn't matter much. It's funny and good enough to insist upon being watched.