Guide Note

A Fish Called Wanda is a comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. Cleese stars in the film, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Georgeson, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin and Maria Aitken. The story revolves around an attempted jewelry robbery and its calamitous aftermath. Although A Fish Called Wanda opened in theaters on July 15, 1988, the film did not make it to number one at the box office until September 16 in the United States.¹ The film grossed more than $100 million worldwide, while only costing $8 million to make.

Fast Facts:

1. Release date: July 15, 1988
2. Distributor: MGM
3. Director: Charles Crichton
4. Producers: Steve Abbot, John Cleese, Lee Rich, Michael Shamberg, John Comfort
5. Music: John Du Prez
6. Running Time: 1 hr, 48 min

A Fish Called Wanda was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1988. John Cleese and Charles Crichton were nominated for Best Screenplay, while Kevin Kline won the award for Best Supporting Actor. Crichton was also nominated for Best Director; with the nomination, Crichton became the second oldest individual to be nominated for the award.² In the year 2000, A Fish Called Wanda ranked 21st on The American Film Institute list of the Top 100 Funniest Films of All Time.³