The biggest challenge when watching this movie is to overcome the temptation to hurl as many superlatives at it as is humanly possible. This is the quintessential British comedy, superior in my view to its apparent successor 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', and a beacon of excellence in a sea of turgid, uninspired offerings from film-makers of a similar era. I have always found John Cleese to be Britain's finest comedian of the past 50 years: and while I'm enticed to use this space as a simple eulogy to his genius, it is important to note that Wanda is far from a one man show. That said, if Cleese is to be remembered for anything other than his magnum opus Fawlty Towers, Wanda would be a fitting touchstone.
Director Charles Crichton (a veteran of several 1950s Ealing comedies such as 'The Lavender Hill Mob') assembled a truly fantastic cast: Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis add trans-Atlantic flair to the proceedings, with Kline particularly brilliant as the psychotic Otto, a hit-man with a penchant for seafood.... Although it's fair to say that the best lines are distributed equally among the cast, Kline bags more than an ample share, and has proved to be one of the more quotable comedic characters of recent times ("I'm, uh, Harvey. Manfred... jen... sen... den"). Jamie Lee Curtis is not quite as convincing as the conniving Wanda, yet more than holds her own while her colleagues produce their finest work (indeed, Kline was awarded an Oscar for his performance). There is excellent support from British actors Maria Aitkin and Tom Georgeson, and of course the wonderful Michael Palin as stuttering Ken, the animal lover.
The writing from Cleese is often unnervingly sharp: every single sentence seems to be laced with aesthetic value, and this is a fine achievement considering the film runs for nearly two hours. The farcical scenes (such as Cleese's attempt to hide his affair with Wanda from his wife) are achingly funny, exploiting both Cleese's inimitable brand of physical humour and the frequent juxtapositioning of the attitudes of British and American people towards romance, sex and relationships at large.
I love the film. As an ardent 'Towers' fan, this humour is tailor-made for my tastes. While the plot is sometimes a little TOO convoluted for perhaps its own good (a little bit of indulgence from Cleese no doubt), this is still film-making of the highest calibre and remains my favourite comedy to date. Very Highly Recommended 9.5/10
Director Charles Crichton (a veteran of several 1950s Ealing comedies such as 'The Lavender Hill Mob') assembled a truly fantastic cast: Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis add trans-Atlantic flair to the proceedings, with Kline particularly brilliant as the psychotic Otto, a hit-man with a penchant for seafood.... Although it's fair to say that the best lines are distributed equally among the cast, Kline bags more than an ample share, and has proved to be one of the more quotable comedic characters of recent times ("I'm, uh, Harvey. Manfred... jen... sen... den"). Jamie Lee Curtis is not quite as convincing as the conniving Wanda, yet more than holds her own while her colleagues produce their finest work (indeed, Kline was awarded an Oscar for his performance). There is excellent support from British actors Maria Aitkin and Tom Georgeson, and of course the wonderful Michael Palin as stuttering Ken, the animal lover.
The writing from Cleese is often unnervingly sharp: every single sentence seems to be laced with aesthetic value, and this is a fine achievement considering the film runs for nearly two hours. The farcical scenes (such as Cleese's attempt to hide his affair with Wanda from his wife) are achingly funny, exploiting both Cleese's inimitable brand of physical humour and the frequent juxtapositioning of the attitudes of British and American people towards romance, sex and relationships at large.
I love the film. As an ardent 'Towers' fan, this humour is tailor-made for my tastes. While the plot is sometimes a little TOO convoluted for perhaps its own good (a little bit of indulgence from Cleese no doubt), this is still film-making of the highest calibre and remains my favourite comedy to date. Very Highly Recommended 9.5/10