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Poster for The Annihilation of Fish

The Annihilation of Fish

Seen it?

1999 | 102 min | Drama, Romance, Comedy

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Aimed squarely at spy-story fans and people who like their stories with a little heart-flutter. Nobody is quite who they seem. A good follow-up to Brooklyn or Lolita. Set in sun-baked Los Angeles.
The mood
Funny with heart, romantic.
The pace
Lets scenes breathe, at 1 hr 42 min.
What might put you off
Skip it if you need something light and fast tonight.

A Jamaican widower recently released from a mental institution and a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini become the unlikely tenants of an eccentric widow in Los Angeles.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsSolid

    67% on Rotten Tomatoes, 63 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $71K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 17K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Charles Burnett

  • James Earl JonesFish
  • Lynn RedgravePoinsettia
  • Margot KidderMrs. Muldroone
  • Sarah BenoitReno Minister's Wife
  • Andy GarzaWedding Groom
  • Tommy Redmond HicksNew York City Minister
  • Ronald F. HoiseckReno Minister
  • Shannon WilcoxHippie Preacher's Wife
  • Victoria PrismantasYoung Hippie Woman
  • Paul M. HellerMailman