Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
"A laugh-out-loud escapade! A joy to watch! A delight!" -The New York Times
One's got a sophisticated, suave and debonair con act. The other's got...well, an act. Together, Steve Martin and Michael Caine are Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and they're absolutely ruining the Riviera in this "hilarious battle of wits and double-crosses" (Boxoffice) that "couldn't be more delightful" (The Wall Street Journal)!
Martin is Freddy Benson, a small-time con mansleazing his way through Europe on whatever handouts he can scam. Caine is Lawrence Jamieson, an impeccably dressed and high-minded artiste who thinks Freddy is giving him -- and all con men -- a bad name. At first, Lawrence agrees to help Freddy spruce up his talents and his wardrobe. But when it becomes apparent that the Riviera isn't big enough for the both of them, they make a winner-take-all wager over the fortunes of a naïve American soap heiress (Glenne Headly): The first one to "clean her out" can make the other clear out -- and keep the Riviera and its unsuspecting tourists to himself!
Member Reviews
Very funny, satisfying - clauditorium
Very funny, satisfying, if a bit lightweight, unmemorable and edgeless comedy with enjoyably duplicitous characters and a nice surprise ending. Steve Martin is gloriously vulgar, Michael Caine is slyly funny, and the contrast in their styles makes them a great comedy team.Near classic comedy of con-artists on the loose - eyewitness
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a joy to watch. From their first encounter until the very last in a series of twist endings, Mr. Caine and Mr. Martin’s scenes together are unremittingly clever. This is a great repeatable comedy in which the bad guys actually get away with stuff! Even when you know the “surprise” ending, it's still enormous fun getting there. I watch it periodically for some good hold-my-tummy laughter! The fact that it is family-friendly and profanity-free is a bonus.Delicious, Devilish, Delightful - CharleyJames
A joyously wonderful comedy about the pleasures of conning, flagrant amorality and the greed of its characters. They're predators, sharks feasting on gullible rich women who come to wiggle their toes in the azure waters of the South of France. Their corruption has a glorious purity.
Michael Caine is a snakily elegant playboy who raises the art of seduction to a lucrative business. What he appeals to isn't the women’s thirst for Kasbah sex but their desire for exotic adventure. Wearing a herring-thin mustache, he presents himself as a character in a romance novel: An exiled prince trying to raise the cash to finance brave resistance fighters back home, offering his victims a role alongside him as the beautiful lady bountiful, savior of freedom.
As a result, he amasses a fortune with enough left over for the local police inspector who provides intelligence on prospective targets and makes sure that Caine's franchise isn't threatened by poachers. The protection proves necessary when Steve Martin shows up, nickel-and-diming the women Caine plans to bilk for larger sums.
Once he gets a whiff of Caine’s setup, Steve Martin demands Caine teach him all he knows. What follows is a master's tutorial on the elements of millionaire style. Jamison teaches Freddie his elegant, gliding saunter (Caine walks like Cary Grant, Martin like Bob Hope); how to hold a drink and lean against a column; even how to arrange flowers. Martin, the eloquent Baryshnikov of physical comedy, is at his most inspired.
But Martin's best moment is as Prince Ruprecht, the simian brother Caine created for him to play to scare away the women who want to settle down. And if Ruprecht's habit of looking at Jamison's girlfriends like a beagle does a fire hydrant doesn't frighten them off, then his revolutionary table manners certainly will.
The payoff is nifty and up to the end the rats keep topping themselves, swishing their tails with vermin panache.
Member Reviews
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Very funny, satisfying - clauditorium
Very funny, satisfying, if a bit lightweight, unmemorable and edgeless comedy with enjoyably duplicitous characters and a nice surprise ending. Steve Martin is gloriously vulgar, Michael Caine is slyly funny, and the contrast in their styles makes them a great ...Near classic comedy of con-artists on the loose - eyewitness
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a joy to watch. From their first encounter until the very last in a series of twist endings, Mr. Caine and Mr. Martin’s scenes together are unremittingly clever. This is a great repeatable comedy in which the bad guys actually ...Delicious, Devilish, Delightful - CharleyJames
A joyously wonderful comedy about the pleasures of conning, flagrant amorality and the greed of its characters. They're predators, sharks feasting on gullible rich women who come to wiggle their toes in the azure waters of the South of France. Their corruption ...