A Fish Called Wanda
3/4
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson, Maria Aitkin
Rated R (probably for Strong Language, Sex-Related Material and Some Violence)
I've seen "A Fish Called Wanda" three times now, and this is the first time I've liked it. I guess British humor is an acquired taste. But watching "Death at a Funeral" and "Burke and Hare," two comedies so hilarious that a person would have to be dead in order to sit completely stone faced through them, will do that to a guy.
The film has a terrific set-up for a madcap screwball comedy. Four thieves are intending to relieve a bank of some jewels. George (Georgeson) is the brains, Otto (Kline) is the brawn, Ken (Palin) is the support, and Wanda (Curtis) is the getaway driver. The robbery goes off without a hitch, until Otto and Wanda (whom everyone thinks are siblings but are actually lovers) make a call to the police and finger George for the crime. Their plan to cheat the other two out of the loot goes awry when they realize that George had already hidden the jewels. Now Wanda has to seduce George's lawyer, Archie Leach (Cleese) to find out where they are.
From top to bottom the performances work. John Cleese plays the straight man who's caught in a situation that could charitably be called bizarre, although he still allows himself to get more than a few laughs. Jamie Lee Curtis is oh so sexy, and one of Wanda's kinks is that someone speaking in a foreign accent is a huge turn-on. Kevin Kline is hilarious as Otto ("Don't call me stupid!"), who is nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is. Otto is a total whack job, and that's what makes him so funny. Everyone has their share of humorous bits, but Kline is always hysterical. Michael Palin is also very good as a man who is assigned to bump off a witness but ends up killing her vicious dogs instead. Making matters worse is his stutter, which brings to mind Colin Firth in "The King's Speech." And his is worse.
My past criticism with the film still applies, although not to the point where I won't recommend it. The film is poorly directed by Charles Crichton. Comedy must have energy, but Crichton stifles it to the point where it isn't nearly as funny as it should have been. It is only the skills of his cast and the screenplay that make enough of the jokes work. In comedy, timing is everything, and Crichton doesn't get it right. He wants us to feel for the characters as we're laughing at them, but this is a difficult balance to achieve and Crichton misses the mark. Consider the scene where Archie is apologizing to Otto, only to have the camera turn 180 degrees to reveal that he is hanging out of the window. The movement is too slow for it to have the payoff that it deserves, and a similar problem affects a lot of the jokes in this film. If his direction were as manic and quick as Kline's performance, the film would be a masterpiece.
I guess the only way to judge British humor is like a ski slope. "Burke & Hare" is a green, "Death at a Funeral" is a blue, and "A Fish Called Wanda" is a black diamond. Yeah, that's how I'd put it.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson, Maria Aitkin
Rated R (probably for Strong Language, Sex-Related Material and Some Violence)
I've seen "A Fish Called Wanda" three times now, and this is the first time I've liked it. I guess British humor is an acquired taste. But watching "Death at a Funeral" and "Burke and Hare," two comedies so hilarious that a person would have to be dead in order to sit completely stone faced through them, will do that to a guy.
The film has a terrific set-up for a madcap screwball comedy. Four thieves are intending to relieve a bank of some jewels. George (Georgeson) is the brains, Otto (Kline) is the brawn, Ken (Palin) is the support, and Wanda (Curtis) is the getaway driver. The robbery goes off without a hitch, until Otto and Wanda (whom everyone thinks are siblings but are actually lovers) make a call to the police and finger George for the crime. Their plan to cheat the other two out of the loot goes awry when they realize that George had already hidden the jewels. Now Wanda has to seduce George's lawyer, Archie Leach (Cleese) to find out where they are.
From top to bottom the performances work. John Cleese plays the straight man who's caught in a situation that could charitably be called bizarre, although he still allows himself to get more than a few laughs. Jamie Lee Curtis is oh so sexy, and one of Wanda's kinks is that someone speaking in a foreign accent is a huge turn-on. Kevin Kline is hilarious as Otto ("Don't call me stupid!"), who is nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is. Otto is a total whack job, and that's what makes him so funny. Everyone has their share of humorous bits, but Kline is always hysterical. Michael Palin is also very good as a man who is assigned to bump off a witness but ends up killing her vicious dogs instead. Making matters worse is his stutter, which brings to mind Colin Firth in "The King's Speech." And his is worse.
My past criticism with the film still applies, although not to the point where I won't recommend it. The film is poorly directed by Charles Crichton. Comedy must have energy, but Crichton stifles it to the point where it isn't nearly as funny as it should have been. It is only the skills of his cast and the screenplay that make enough of the jokes work. In comedy, timing is everything, and Crichton doesn't get it right. He wants us to feel for the characters as we're laughing at them, but this is a difficult balance to achieve and Crichton misses the mark. Consider the scene where Archie is apologizing to Otto, only to have the camera turn 180 degrees to reveal that he is hanging out of the window. The movement is too slow for it to have the payoff that it deserves, and a similar problem affects a lot of the jokes in this film. If his direction were as manic and quick as Kline's performance, the film would be a masterpiece.
I guess the only way to judge British humor is like a ski slope. "Burke & Hare" is a green, "Death at a Funeral" is a blue, and "A Fish Called Wanda" is a black diamond. Yeah, that's how I'd put it.
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