ECCENTRIC CHARACTERS MAKE 'FISH' A JOY

"A Fish Called Wanda" (1988) -- 8/10

By Martin Zabell
(Wrote June 26, 2007)

I almost always base my decision on the quality of a movie on its plot – possibly because I'm a professional writer/editor.

Using my own criteria, "A Fish Called Wanda" shouldn't be rated a good movie. The number of plot holes is enormous and, frankly, I didn't even care who got the hidden jewels or even whether the thieves were caught and/or found guilty.

However, I am giving this movie an 8. Why? In one word, "characters." I'm really hard-pressed to think of a movie with more eccentric characters. These characters made "Wanda" an enjoyable movie.

I read at least a few reviews that said this movie wasn't funny. By conventional standards, it wasn't because the one-liners and comedy bits weren't particularly strong on their own. What made this movie funny was its characters, their quirky personalities, and their actions. The four primary characters were all extreme.

Kevin Kline's character stood out because of his extreme stupidity, impulsiveness, pushiness, and rudeness. Michael Palin's character was extreme in his love for animals and stuttering problems. John Cleese's character was involved in an extremely repressed marriage. Jamie Lee Curtis' character was extremely seductive and had a strange passion for foreign languages.

The writers did a great job of creating excellent character conflicts based on the characters' quirks. Kline ate Palin's fish. Cleese was easy prey for Curtis' come-ons. Kline's inability to grasp that girlfriend Curtis was play-acting to get the jewels led him to attack Cleese. Overlaying these individual tussles was a Brit vs. American conflict that provided lots of laughs.

For those who don't know, Kline won an Oscar for his performance. In addition, I should point out that the dialogue was often very smart – particularly when the very attractive Curtis explained how stupid Kline was.

I know many people objected to the killing of animals. As I sit here looking at my cute Beagle, I can honestly say that these scenes were funny. They weren't funny because dogs and fish were killed. They were funny because of how the quirky and extreme characters reacted to the deaths.

I watched "Wanda" one more time than I usually watch a movie to make sure the plot holes I perceived weren't my own fault. I shouldn't have bothered. "Wanda" deserves to have a point deducted because of its plot holes. If it was a drama, these holes would have led me to give this movie a thumbs-down, but it's a comedy so I rate it as a top-notch movie.