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1983 is the year "The Meaning of Life" was released, the last acclaimed work produced by the Monty Python, and in hindsight, a testament to what can easily be considered one of the best comedic groups in history, if not the best. From that moment on, even though there was never a real "breakup," the six members would all take different paths (without disdaining some friendly collaborations) until 1989, when throat cancer led to the death of Graham Chapman and, with him, the hope of seeing all six Pythons together again. One year before this tragic event, "A Fish Called Wanda" was released, a film that features, in addition to Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, the participation of Michael Palin as a supporting actor and John Cleese in the triple role of screenwriter, director (though uncredited), and lead actor.
The plot is as follows: Wanda and Otto (Curtis and Kline) are two lovers conspiring to frame her husband, George (Tom Georgeson), who is involved along with animal lover Ken (a stammering Palin) in a diamond heist; the two then pretend to be siblings to both be involved in the robbery. Once it's successful, George is arrested as planned by the lovers, but to their dismay, George has hidden the loot in a different place than arranged, forcing the two to change their plans: Wanda decides to seduce her husband's lawyer, Archie Leach (Cleese), to discover the new hiding place of the diamonds and, unbeknownst to Otto, to run away with the loot herself. Of course, things won't go as smoothly as planned, but I prefer you discover the why and how on your own.
The most striking thing is that "A Fish Called Wanda" undoubtedly represents the greatest exploit by a "solo" Python: Cleese and Kline won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, respectively (plus a Crichton nomination for Best Director); the film was a commercial and critical triumph and was acclaimed as one of the most successful and funniest comedies in cinema history. There are innumerable rankings in which this film appears, so much so that the American Film Institute included it among the 100 funniest films ever.
All this success is surely derived from the fresh and sparkling screenplay and the well-matched cast: as far as the script is concerned, Cleese skillfully mixed subtle English humor with more zany American comedy; in this sense, it's easy to see how the surreal component and the typical extremisms of Monty Python have been toned down, favoring a more "classic" comedy that's appealing to a broader audience, but for this no less funny or incisive. Scenes like the fake advances of Otto towards Ken or the first dialogue between Palin's character and Archie are textbook comedy, perfect both in timing and interpretation. Yet, there remain always points of contact with Python's work: the subtle criticism of the English (described by Otto as: "Intellectually inferior, petrified, fags, they have rigor mortis in the prime of their life, impaled, with their hair slicked counting the seconds until the weekend to dress like ballerinas...") and particularly the upper class embodied by lawyer Archie, whose professional success equals his failure in marital life. Married to an egocentric woman and burdened with a spoiled daughter, Archie Leach fully represents the frustration of the seemingly accomplished bourgeoisie but ultimately empty and devoid of prospects: a family that doesn't consider him, a job that alienates him, a routine that doesn't fulfill him, Archie's life is composed of these sad elements, making him seek an escape by going against the imposed (or self-imposed?) "rules" by cheating on his wife with Wanda. Other common points are the philosophical quotes (Aristotle and Nietzsche) never pedantic but, on the contrary, perfectly integrated within the gags and the constant UK vs. USA dualism represented by the two male protagonists: on one hand, we have the calm and brilliant Archie, on the other the passionate and stupid Otto; the first perfectly integrated into his role as a "pompous" and monotonous lawyer, the second with intellectual pretensions, Anglophobic and a proud supporter of American superiority compared to that England which without US help would have been "A tiny province of the Russian empire." A duel that will see no winner, as both characters represent two sides of the same coin made of dissatisfaction and unmet expectations, perpetually dissatisfied and in constant search of something that improves their incomplete lives.
The cast is, as already stated, stellar: in addition to the already praised Cleese and Palin, the lion's share is taken by the lovers Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline; the former capable of going in a second from seasoned criminal to naive law student with just a pair of glasses, the latter plays with explosive and incredible skill a character that risked, in the wrong hands, transforming into a caricature and which instead thanks to Kline becomes the star of the entire film, wisely remaining in balance between stupidity, wickedness, and naive candor. A quartet of brilliant and on-form actors, as demonstrated by the myriad of awards and ceremonies they have won or received at least a nomination.
In conclusion, beyond the obvious advice to procure the film as soon as possible, a small curiosity: "A Fish Called Wanda" also gained fame due to a certain Dane named Ole Bentzen, who was the victim of a singular death; he indeed died of a heart attack due to too much laughter during the viewing of the film. Are you willing to take the same risk?
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