Review

The cast of 1988's classic A Fish Called Wanda reunites for this not-really-a-sequel. The plot concerns a rich Australian tycoon (Kline) who overtakes a British company that controls, among other things, a zoo. Kline also plays the tycoon's oversexed, ne'er-do-well son, and he and the sexy Curtis supervise the promotional overhaul of the zoo, set in motion by the rigid and seemingly animal-hating new director (Cleese). In an effort to boost profits and give patrons the carnage they really crave, only fierce animals are to be kept on hand. This sets up all manner of comic scenarios in which the animal caretakers try to B.S. their way into convincing Cleese that various cute little critters are actually rabid, carnivorous vermin. The film has a few clever bits but, ultimately, it's not nearly as funny as Wanda, simply because the pitch-black humor and cheerful malevolence of the first film are substituted for cute, family-friendly hijinks.

 -- Steven D. Segal