A Fish Called Wanda

Plot hole: Shortly after the robbery, Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis get together in a little flat and Kline calls the police from a landline to tell them who committed the robbery. In England this would immediately lead the police to the flat from which the call was made, and the person reporting the robbery would be the first person the police would want to find and speak to. Otto has handed it to them on a plate. (00:12:29)

Continuity mistake: After Ken reverses the steamroller after running Otto over with it, you can see a red patch signifying his splattered body in front of the roller. However, a few scenes later, Otto is seen alive. (Otto was originally meant to die, until test audience feedback influenced a change of mind on the part of the filmmakers.)

james1000

Visible crew/equipment: When George enters Ken's apartment the first time and Wanda approaches him, if you look in the mirror you should be able to see a crouching crew member wearing a blue shirt. (00:03:15)

Mortug

A Fish Called Wanda mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: After Ken kills the last dog and the witness has a heart attack, he walks out of the house he was in and in the reflection of the black door you can see a crew member and a camera. (01:19:35)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When Ken lets the Doberman loose out of the back of the van, you see Ken looking through the rear window to watch the action. The camera angle changes and you no longer see Ken looking out of the window. The camera angle changes again and Ken is once again looking out of the window. (00:53:19)

MCKD

Plot hole: Archie goes from being waist-deep in a barrel of oil to walking onto the airplane and sitting next to Wanda. She greets him, etc. But there's no oil on his pants, no logical question by Wanda: What the heck happened?

Continuity mistake: When Ken has the bandage going round his head, both the bandage and the tape securing it - particularly the size and position of the tape strips, differ in consecutive shots throughout the scenes. One example is when Otto shares his chips with Ken and then enjoys his lovely little fish. (01:22:40)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Archie dances with Wanda at the flat, they stop and you see Wanda put her hands around Archie's neck. The camera angle changes and her hands are now on his shoulders. The camera angle changes again and her hands are back around his neck. Happens about 3 times during the entire scene. There is even a time when only one hand is on his shoulder. (00:57:44)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When Wanda is lying on top of Archie and Otto surprises them, Archie screams and his hands are down by his waist. When it cuts his arms are suddenly waving above his head. (00:58:35)

Mortug

Continuity mistake: When one of the robbers finds the box of diamonds that they are looking for, he is seen taking 1 envelope out of the box, pushing the box to the side, and opening the envelope on the table. The camera angle changes to a close up and he is seen opening the envelope on top of the box containing all the other envelopes. (00:08:16)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: After the robbery when Otto and Wanda are sitting in bed and Otto grabs the phone, you can see Wanda holding the notebook in her left hand, and then she puts it in her right hand. After the cut it's back in her left hand and she's grabbing it with her right hand again. (00:12:00)

Mortug

Continuity mistake: When Otto goes to see Wanda after the dog attack, the scars on Ken's face changes from when Otto gets to the apartment to when he leaves. (00:54:10)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When George is telling everyone how much they are going to make on the heist, you see Wanda using her calculator with a pen. The camera angle changes and the pen is gone. (00:05:19)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When the steamroller is going over Otto, you can plainly see that the cement is still very wet and loose, but only moments ago Otto's feet were stuck in the cement because it was hard and thick. (01:43:01)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When Ken lets the Doberman out of the car it has a pink cloth on it that falls to the pavement. When it cuts to the dog about to grab the old ladies' dog the cloth is nowhere to be seen. (00:51:10)

Mortug

Continuity mistake: Near the end, when Otto has Archie in a barrel and Ken approaches on a cement roller note the pattern in the wet cement. When the camera zooms to Otto's feet stuck in the cement you can see pattern in cement where the cement roller has passed previously, stopping a few feet behind Otto. There is a visible line and the cement appears rougher beyond it. (01:42:00)

OneHappyHusky

Continuity mistake: When Otto is telling Archie to apologize for calling him stupid, you see Otto pointing his finger at Archie and when the camera angle changes his finger is now pressed up against his chest. (01:01:28)

MCKD

Continuity mistake: When John Cleese has removed his clothes and the tenants of the flat come into the room, a quick rear view show that he has blue underwear on, when he's supposed to be naked. (01:14:46)

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Suggested correction: This is barely visible on the full screen version. When the picture is properly matted for widescreen, it is not visible at all.

Continuity mistake: Ken is trying to run over the witness as she is walking her dogs at the crosswalk. He swerves the car to avoid hitting her dogs and crashes into a garbage can. As he crashes into the garbage can you can see that the witness is no longer on the crosswalk. The camera angle changes again and she is now back on the crosswalk. (01:03:22)

MCKD

Otto: Don't call me stupid.
Wanda: Oh, right, to call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you. I've worn dress with higher IQ's. But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto: Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple things, okay? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "every man for himself." And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto, I looked them up.

Bishop73

More quotes from A Fish Called Wanda

Trivia: The real name of the actor who plays George Thomason in the film is Tom Georgeson. His character name was definitely a play on his real name.

MCKD

More trivia for A Fish Called Wanda

Answer: John Cleese was reciting the poem "Molitva" by Mikhail Lermontov. He learned and memorized it phonetically and has admitted that he had no idea what the words actually meant.

Angela Brown

Answer: Archie indeed recites the second and third strophes from Lermontov's poem, "The Prayer." "There is a might inspiring Each consecrated word, That speaks the inconceivable And holy will of God. The heavy load slips from my heart, Oppressing doubt takes flight, The soul believes, the tears break forth, And all is light, so light!"

More questions & answers from A Fish Called Wanda

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