A 2 Part Review: A Fish Called Wanda (1988) and Fierce Creatures (1997)

What I’m Watching: A Two-Parter:
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) and Fierce Creatures (1997)
(same writer, same cast, two fantastic and unique movies)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988. Directed by Charles Crichton. Starring John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin.)

What a gut-busting, hilarious, and unique film! Written by Crichton and Cleese comes this UK comedy about the aftermath of a jewel heist. The four thieves are George (Played by Tom Georgeson), Wanda (Curtis), Ken (Palin) and Otto (Kline). After pulling off the jewel heist flawlessly, Wanda and Otto (a pair of con artists pretending to be siblings in order to procure the jewels for themselves) give their ringleader, George, up to the police. Wanda had been conning George into believe that she loved him, while really her lover is her partner in crime/faux brother, Otto. George is arrested, but reaches out to his right hand man, Ken, a stuttering animal lover. The jewels are moved, the key is hidden, and Ken is given the order to kill the only key witness to the crime (some old lady with some annoying dogs). Wanda sets her attentions on duping her partner and crime, and finding the jewel location herself by seducing George’s lawyer, (or barrister to use the UK term) Archie Leach (Cleese.) Leach is an extremely unhappy man in a loveless marriage. The character naturally falls head over heels for Wanda, who renews a youthful spirit in Leach. Anyways, as the plot unfolds, chaos ensues with extreme laughs aplenty.

I am obviously biased when it comes to my intense love of Michael Palin, and John Cleese. Please take me for my word when I say in the most un-biased way possible that this is one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. All 4 of these main characters are so odd, flawed, and over-the-top HILARIOUS.

I’ve got two words: KEVIN KLINE. This man MADE this movie. Otto is one of the greatest written characters, in my opinion. A serious narcissist and self-proclaimed philosophical intellect, he is ANYTHING BUT! He is a git and most intellectually devoid person-but don’t tell him that, because he may hang you out a window!

John Cleese as Archie Leach is a breath of fresh air! Here we see a man who is emotionally weak, and very unhappy and unsatisfied with his monotonous life. Once Wanda enters his life, he is renewed and becomes a determined man full of passion and life again. And how couldn’t his Russian reciting turn you on?

Jamie Lee Curtis plays Wanda (note: not the fish!). Wanda is shroud, cunning, sexy, and spontaneous. She is the kind of woman who gets what she wants, no matter what! She manipulates the men around her perfectly. She also is a SUCKER for foreign languages. Speak to her in a language other than English, and things will get dirty.

Oh Michael Palin, how many times must I rave on and on about you? (That was a rhetorical question, of course!) Palin, whose own father seriously suffered from a stutter, brought this knowledge and experience to the stuttering character of Ken. Ken never seems to get a word in edgewise! (Might I add that it is with this performance that he helped set up the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in 1993). On top of his incredibly debilitating, though extremely funny stammer, Ken is a great lover of animals. He has his own beautiful aquarium. His prized fish is a fish called Wanda (wait a minute; that sounds familiar!) While the rest of these hi-jinxes are happening, Ken is busy with his own mission: kill the witness! This sub-plot breaks up the film nicely, and adds for some painfully hilarious slapstick moments for poor Ken!

Everything about this film, from the writing, to the superb acting, to the rising action, to the fantastic and fast-paced ending, is fabulous. Watching this movie for the first time was one the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with a film. This is a perfect comedy for just about any type of film lover. Don’t believe me yet? Here are some of the recognitions this brilliant film has received:

- American Film Institute ranks it #21 on its list of “Top 100 Funniest Movies Ever Made”
- Bravo ranks it at #27 on their list of “100 Funniest Movies”
- Kevin Kline WON an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
- Charles Crichton nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director
- Jamie Lee Curtis nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress
- Michael Palin WON BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor
- 96% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes!
This is a must-see movie!
~ ~ ~
Fierce Creatures (1997. Directed by Fred Schepisi and Robert Young. Starring John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Palin)

The Wanda Dream Team is back again for this fantastic film about the direction of a British Zoo. We cannot call this a sequel to Wanda. It has been dubbed “an equal” instead. It’s a different story, different characters, different situations, but the same fantastic cast and same hilarity.

Rod McCain (Kline) is a New Zealand CEO of Octopus Inc, where any and all businesses they’ve invested in must return a 20% profit margin. One such investment is in Marwood Zoo, which has just been given a new director, Rollo Lee (Cleese). In order to meet this profit margin demand, Rollo decides to enact a new zoo police called the “Fierce Creatures Policy”. This policy holds that only dangerous and threatening animals shall remain in the zoo, in order to boost interest and attract more of the public. The devoted zoo handlers are not pleased, and go to many lengths to prove their animals (most of which are adorable and cuddly creatures) are indeed, harmful. Needless to say, this policy fails pretty quickly.

Willa Weston (Curtis) has just been given a management position at Octopus Inc., and insists to go direct the zoo herself, while somewhat demoting Rollo. She goes, along with McCain’s loony son, Vince (also Kline), who is under false pretenses thinking Willa is in love with him.
Vince, who doesn’t particularly like or even “get” animals, begins exploiting all of the animal attractions for big bucks (my favourite being putting an advert sign for Absolute Vodka on the tiger!). Rollo and the zoo handlers (along with the intelligent but super annoying bug handler, Bugsy (Palin) try to make a plan to figure out if their zoo is going to be shut down. Willa, who loves animals is not happy with Vince, and of course begins a flirtation with Rollo.

The plot unfolds to save the zoo and give everyone, including Vince, who though a bit daft is merely the result of severe fatherly childhood neglect, their happy ending.

This movie is a great example of situational humor. There is a lot of physical comedy, lots of hilarious lines, and definitely many “wrong place, wrong time” moments.

Cleese as Rollo Lee is a lot more demanding and has much more of a backbone than the character of “Archie Leach”. He’s a morally upstanding man, though sometimes gets caught “with his pants down” at the wrong moment (pun intended!). A very strong lead.

At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel or perceive Willa. She starts off with an air of smugness to her, and I was not sure if I was supposed to like her or be against her. Once she was at the zoo, however, she took a turn and was extremely sympathetic view on the zoo’s plight. Curtis once again does a great job playing the strong, independent woman, as she did as “Wanda”. This roll had her much softer and very likeable.

Kevin Kline had his hands full, playing the old, fat, asshole New Zealand CEO, Rod McCain, as well as his aloof son, Vince. Kline is really a great asshole! He absolutely nails it each time. His antagonists are always so dramatic and intense. Rod is simply a (flatulent) douche bag who hates his son and doesn’t care about anything else besides money and his company. Vince is an interesting character. Obviously an antagonist, Vince just “doesn’t get it.” He doesn’t get that Willa has no interest in him. He doesn’t get why people like animals. He doesn’t get what is wrong with exploiting animals. I don’t think it’s that he has no morals. I think he just doesn’t understand morals, or why he should have morals. By the end of the film, after a series of (hilarious) events occur, we sympathize greatly with Vince, however. We see that he is really a product of his environment, and how the neglect of his father is mostly to blame for shaping him.

Bugsy Malone is a very silly person indeed. Michael Palin was finally given the chance to have some serious dialogue in this film, unlike his character, “Ken”, in Wanda. “Ken” could barely stammer a sentence out. Bugsy has no problem talking your ear off! Bugsy is obviously a serious scientific thinker (and a complete nerd), and oftentimes likes to demonstrate this by talking your ear off! He just won’t shut his bloody gob! If anyone tells him to shut it, he completely ignores them and continues talking. Mostly everyone just largely ignores his spouts of scientific mumbo jumbo. It’s quite hysterical though. Bugsy also carries a tarantula around in his pocket named Terry (an ode to Monty Python writing partner Terry Jones). And nothing made me smile more than seeing Michael Palin running around dressed as a giant bumble bee.

There are a few references to A Fish Called Wanda that are subtle, but you’ll certainly catch them if you’ve seen Wanda. Along with that, any Monty Python fans (or unhealthy obsessive diehard fans, such as me) will also catch a few fun references in the dialogue. As I said, they are subtle and don’t mean anything to the plot, but if you’re a fan, you’ll catch them and have yourself an extra laugh!

It is certainly more lighthearted and silly than A Fish Called Wanda. It’s still very funny, performed wonderfully, and written well. I think the most laughs come from the last 25ish minutes of the film. So much crazy shit happens VERY fast. Within the last 25 minutes, we hit the movie’s hysterical climax, and the proceeding falling action is so fast paced, with serious mounted tension. I laughed pretty much nonstop through the end of it. It’s an extremely fun film with lots of laughs and a promised payoff!