The Annihilation of Fish

The Annihilation of Fish
The Annihilation of Fish
Directed by	Charles Burnett
Written by	Anthony C. Winkler
Produced by	Kris Dodge; Paul Heller; William Lawrence Fabrizio; Eric Mitchell; John Remark
Starring	Lynn Redgrave; James Earl Jones; Margot Kidder;
Cinematography	John Ndiaga Demps; Rick Robinson
Edited by	Nancy Richardson
Music by	Laura Karpman
Release date	September 12, 1999;
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Annihilation of Fish is a 1999 American romance film directed by Charles Burnett and starring Lynn Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Margot Kidder.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Plot

A woman (Lynn Redgrave), who believes a dead composer is in love with her, falls in love with a man (James Earl Jones), who constantly fights an imaginary man named Hank.

Cast

Lynn Redgrave as Poinsettia
James Earl Jones as "Fish"
Margot Kidder as Mrs. Muldroone
Phillip Kako as Hippie Preacher
Shannon Wilcox as Hippie Preacher's Wife
Hoyt Richards as Man in Bar
Anthony Guidera as Gun Seller
Linden Chiles as Doctor

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.^[4]

Merle Bertrand of Film Threat wrote, "Romantic comedies have become something of a tired staple in indie filmmaking, these days. Yet, odd as it may seem, it’s the unlikely interracial geriatric chops on display in The Annihilation of Fish that breathe new life into the genre."^[2] Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "It’s hard to imagine what the filmmakers were thinking when they put this project together, in that it’s a picture about two oldsters with very little forward momentum, no subplots and the barest of production values. The stars and director Charles Burnett have names to reckon with, but they’ll all have to write this one off as a misguided bit of whimsy."^[1]