A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Revisited: Comedy Movie Review

A director who was thought to be past his prime. Scenes that attempt to get laughs out of the deaths of adorable animals. A lead actor who was very nervous about his comedic performance. Reshoots resulting from negative test screening reactions. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but this is actually the story of the hit comedy A Fish Called Wanda, the movie we’re looking at in this episode of REVISITED.

A romantic comedy that won co-star Kevin Kline an Oscar and helped establish Jamie Lee Curtis as a full-fledged leading lady, A Fish Called Wanda was the brainchild of Monty Python legend John Cleese, who always wanted to make an Ealing style comedy (the studio behind such classics as The Lavender Hill Mob) with director Charles Crichton. The result would be a hilarious hit that was so funny, an audience member literally laughed himself to death.

This episode of “Revisited” is written by Cody Hamman, edited by Will Hume, narrated by Gaius Bolling, produced by Adam Walton & Chris Bumbray, and executive produced by Berge Garabedian. Check out previous episodes below:

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.