feeldb

A Fish Called Wanda

1988 · 109 min · Director: John Cleese, Charles Crichton ★ IMDb 7.5 · 167,727 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

In London, Georges Thomason (Tom Georgeson), his seductive American girlfriend Wanda Gershwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis), and their associate Ken Pile (Sir Michael Palin) are planning their latest crime: a diamond heist that should net them 13 million pounds sterling. They plan to leave the country with the goods after the heist. On Wanda's recommendation, they enlist the help of her weapons-expert brother Otto West (Kevin Kline) for this heist. Actually, Otto isn't Wanda's brother, but her latest lover, a dimwit who gets off on his own body odor and believes he's an intellectual because he reads Nietzsche and does not tolerate being called stupid by anyone. Wanda has one weakness in men which is how Otto was able to get her to be his lover: speaking Italian in seduction. Wanda and Otto plan to double-cross Georges by having him arrested for the heist while they abscond with the jewels. Wanda further plans to triple-cross Otto by eliminating him from the picture after she has the jewels. They are able to get Georges arrested with him not knowing who tipped the off the police, and implicated by elderly eyewitness Eileen Coady (Patricia Hayes). With Georges in jail, Wanda and Otto discover that he has protected his investment by moving the jewels from their agreed location to a hidden one, telling nobody where they are but offering Ken a slight hint. Georges gives Ken, an animal lover with an extreme stutter, the task of killing Mrs. Coady before she is able to testify against him, as she is the Crown's primary witness. Meanwhile, Wanda has her own plan to reach her end goal: seduce George's defense lawyer Archie Leach (John Cleese) and find out Georges' secrets about the heist, including the location of the jewels. Archie may be easy prey for Wanda's seduction, as his wife Wendy (Maria Aitken) is a self-absorbed woman who pays him little attention. Otto might throw a wrench into Wanda's plans if he finds out what she's doing.

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Emotional fingerprint

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 40%, Surprise 20%, Joy 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

40%Humor
15%Joy
  1. Humor40%
  2. Joy15%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Surprise, Joy. Genres: Comedy, Crime. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Surprise and Joy. Its IMDb rating of 7.5/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 73/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Humor
  • Tension
  • Curiosity

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Humor

Dominant emotion: Curiosity

Dominant emotion: Tension

Humor
Tension
Curiosity
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 3 %, then peaks around 78 %, then peaks around 88 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityHumorTensionCuriosity
2.5 %≈ 3′Humor45 %42 %22 %28 %
7.5 %≈ 8′Humor53 %45 %35 %36 %
12.5 %≈ 14′Humor55 %45 %39 %45 %
17.5 %≈ 19′Curiosity53 %44 %34 %43 %
22.5 %≈ 25′Humor55 %46 %34 %40 %
27.5 %≈ 30′Curiosity56 %48 %34 %41 %
32.5 %≈ 35′Humor56 %48 %36 %35 %
37.5 %≈ 41′Tension60 %49 %44 %31 %
42.5 %≈ 46′Humor64 %56 %44 %30 %
47.5 %≈ 52′Humor63 %59 %35 %26 %
52.5 %≈ 57′Humor61 %55 %34 %24 %
57.5 %≈ 63′Humor65 %59 %44 %23 %
62.5 %≈ 68′Humor64 %59 %45 %24 %
67.5 %≈ 74′Humor59 %51 %40 %28 %
72.5 %≈ 79′Humor63 %45 %50 %34 %
77.5 %≈ 84′Tension69 %43 %63 %40 %
82.5 %≈ 90′Tension68 %45 %61 %45 %
87.5 %≈ 95′Humor69 %50 %61 %45 %
92.5 %≈ 101′Tension69 %53 %55 %33 %
97.5 %≈ 106′Humor60 %52 %35 %18 %
Riches to rags

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

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Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

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Cast

John Cleese

Archie Leach

Michael Palin

Ken Pile

MA
Maria Aitken

Wendy

TG
Tom Georgeson

Georges Thomason

CC
Cynthia Cleese

Portia

PH
Patricia Hayes

Mrs. Coady

ME
Mark Elwes

Customer in Jeweler's Shop

NP
Neville Phillips

Manager of Jeweler's Shop

PJ
Peter Jonfield

Inspector Marvin

JC
Jeremy Child

Mr. Ian Johnson

Stephen Fry

Hutchison

KC
Ken Campbell

Bartlett

AH
Al Hunter Ashton

Warder

RH
Roger Hume

Locksmith

RB
Roger Brierley

Davidson

LR
Llewellyn Rees

Sir John

MP
Michael Percival

Percival

Details

Directed by
John Cleese, Charles Crichton
Written by
John Cleese, Charles Crichton, John Cleese
Type
Movies
Released
1988
Runtime
109 min
Country
United Kingdom, United States
Genres
Comedy, Crime
Ratings
★ IMDb 7.5 · 167,727 ratings
Feels mostly
Humor
Data updated

Where to watch

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.