A Fish Called Wanda

Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, & Tom Georgeson

Produced by: Steve Abbott and Michael Shamburg

Directed by: Charles Crichton

MGM Home Video

Rated R

When John Cleese first decided to write a movie featuring himself and fellow Monty Python alum Michael Palin along with a couple of American rising stars he could not have imagined that he was in fact creating what could possibly be called the perfect comedy. This is exactly what he did when he was able to capture the often elusive movie lightening in the bottle with his film A Fish Called Wanda.

A Fish Called Wanda is a black comedy that at its heart is a tale of dishonor among thieves with a hint of romance thrown in to round out the overall entertaining experience. The twists and turns this movie provides are incredibly fun to watch and to try and mention them all would lessen the experience and spoil the ride the movie takes you on. Suffice it to say, A Fish Called Wanda simply put, is brilliant.

The story follows four jewel thieves as they plan a caper to rob millions of dollars worth of diamonds. The robbery goes off without a hitch, but before the thieves can even begin to count their money they quickly begin plotting against each other. From there it is one hilarious exploit after another as the thieves try and out con their comrades in order to be in sole possession of the fortune.

The acting in this film is superb. Kevin Kline even won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Nietzsche spewing assassin, Otto, whose insane jealousy of Jamie Lee Curtis' character, Wanda, provides for some of the movies biggest laughs. Cleese is dead on with his portrayal of the stiff barrister Archie Leach. Perhaps the best of the bunch however is Michael Palin whose performance as Ken Pile, an animal loving yet loyal crook is absolutely comedy gold.

Cleese's script is almost genius in its comedy styling. The writing is magnificent, and it did get a nod from the Academy Awards when it was nominated for best original screenplay. Crichton's direction is solid and his camera work only enhances the comedy in each scene. His Best Director nomination was well deserved.

This two disc DVD set is loaded with bonuses. It is a pleasant surprise as many DVD anniversary releases will have a couple of new cast interviews added and then call themselves a collector's edition. That is not the case with this release. It contains three featurettes, the best of which is "Kulture Vulture", a documentary, a plethora of deleted and alternate scenes, and a Trivia Track that is excellent in its own right. There is also a photo gallery, and several shorts featuring John Cleese and the making of the movie.

John Cleese's vision, A Fish Called Wand, is an extraordinary piece of cinematic history. This movie should probably be used in film schools when teaching students how to create a comedy. It is brilliantly written and directed, and the cast all put in Oscar caliber performances. The DVD set is loaded with special features that only add to the experience. This is an absolute must have for any fan of the movie.

Special features:

Subtitles: French 7 Spanish

5.1 Dolby Surround

Trivia track

Commentary from John Cleese

Deleted & Altered Scenes with an introduction from John Cleese

Featurettes: "John Cleese's First Farewell", "Farewell Featurette: John Cleese", & "Kulture Vulture"

"Mug Shots" - Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

Documentary: "Something Fishy"

A Message fom John Cleese