Review of A Fish Called Wanda

I loved "A Fish Called Wanda" when it first came out, and have seen it a couple of times since then. It never fails to deliver. The script is witty and fast-moving, the jokes hardly ever fall flat. (Think of the scene in which Archie Leach quite literally gets caught with his pants down, or the scene in which Otto is practicing his apology to Archie... these are classic moments in modern comedy!) Kevin Kline's fantastic performance as the dim-witted, blustering Otto (for which he got a well-deserved Oscar) is almost matched by John Cleese as Archie, the repressed barrister gradually breaking out of his shell of British propriety. Excellent work, as well, by Michael Palin and Jamie Lee Curtis. True, some of the humor is overly sadistic (specifically, the abuse heaped on K-K-K-K-Ken). It's something that I would normally consider a fault; but in this case, the movie more than makes up for it with its inventiveness and its crazy, exhilarating vitality. "A Fish Called Wanda" may not have anything "important" to say, but if sheer hilarity and brilliant acting count for anything, it deserves 9 stars out of 10 (which is how I voted).