Customer Reviews

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels [VHS]

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't believe this movie is a decade and a half old! Neither will you when you view it again (or for the first time). The cinematography is fresh and the comedy is timeless.

The story revolves around a simple American con-man (brilliantly played by Steve Martin) who specializes in charming wealthy women out of whatever charity he can manage to swindel. That is, until he stumbles on to the master (Michael Caine), a suave ultra-swank European who doesn't go for the fast buck, but rather for the slow millions.

The difference in their styles, as Martin invades Caine's comfortable European playground (and then ultimately decide to work together) make for extreme comedy. However, not the Jim Carrey slapstick that's been so popular lately, rather, this is infinitely more subtle in it's buildup, but "net net" as funny as most of the best contemporary comedy out there.

If you have yet to see this film, count yourself lucky. Buy this DVD and give yourself 15 minutes to get into it. You won't be disappointed. For those of you who have seen it and are thinking about buying. Do it. It's one of the few DVD's in my collection I frequently watch and enjoy.

Hope this was helpful to you.

Christian Hunter

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is a great comedy. Martin & Caine have terrific on-screen chemistry and their performances in this film can still reduce me to a squalking, teary-eyed viewer. Terrific pacing keeps this movie buoyant at all times, even as the movie approaches its 20th anniversary.

There are two DVD editions. The first was from Orion/Image. It was a "no-frills" release, containing the movie only. Mercifully, that version is out of print although I have seen some unscrupulous sellers hyping that fact as a selling point. Don't be fooled.

Get the current edition on MGM DVD. Watch out for similar cover artwork. The current MGM offering has Martin & Caine standing in front of palm trees. (The no-frills disc has them standing in front of a bunch of beach umbrellas.)

With the current edition, you will enjoy an anamorphic widescreen transfer (better image quality than standard letterboxing). They are also including the original teaser trailer which brilliantly set up one's expectations without revealing ANY of the actual movie. Frank Oz (director) provides an interesting scene-by-scene audio commentary.

Enjoy!

The script is flawless and the roles played exquisitely by Michael Caine, Steve Martin and Glenne Headly.

Fred Benson (Steve Martin) has developed some expertise in swindling the small game - getting women basically to pay him a dinner. He is loud, uncultured and proud of his achievement. He has even managed to get publicity for his misdeeds in newspapers.

He realizes that he has much to learn when he steps on the territory, French Riviera, of Laurence Jamieson (Michael Caine), suave, cultured, classy European, who is elegantly getting the better of the big game.

In order to prevent Fred from scarying away his prey, Laurence devises a bet, a match of wits, between the two of them. The one who wins it gets to stay, the one who loses must leave. The bet consists of extracting $50,000 from unsuspecting victim - which they both choose and agree upon.

Now the priceless and hillarious match of wits begins, each one trying to outdo another and each one alternatively getting one step ahead, until the hunters realize that they have been hunted themselves all along by someone with even greater wits.

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" has panache, slapstick, clever con hijinks, some gorgeous scenery of the beautiful French oceanside, a wacky Steve Martin peeing in his pants at the dinner table, and a debonair Michael Caine changing his impersonations as often as his hat.

Plus, a great ending.

MGM has done a fairly surprising job with the feature-rich DVD. Apart from a couple of standard theatrical trailers, it has a complete altenative track from Frank Oz (director) which is quite funny overall. Next up is a six and a half minute "behind the scenes" featurette including interviews with director Frank Oz, Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly, and the writer. In short, MGM has done a pretty decent job with this DVD.

Recommended purchase.

Michael Caine and Steve Martin have always been great performers, but in this film, they are at their best. Caine is incredibly smooth and sauve and it plays well off of Martin's crude behavior as a boorish American con artist. The plot of a scam involving the two men against each other to see who will leave the country is quite possibly the only thing that truly gets in the way of these two great stars, but they overcome any holes and move very well with their dialog and comedy. A stand-out moment involves Martin as Ruprecht, a challenged younger brother to Caine, and a cork on a fork. This sequence is quite possibly one of the funniest scenes filmed in the 1980's besides the entire Ghostbuster film. The jokes are great and the physical comedy of Martin steals the show at times, but Caine swiftly holds his own with his charismatic performance. It is very clear why Caine is still a star and why Steve Martin is still possibly the funniest man working. These two men are at their prime in this delightful film that has quite a lot of plot twists and unexpected revelations. If you like clashing personalities with your comedy, this is a great film to watch.

If you are a fan of Steve Martin and Michael Caine, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a must-see. For some reason, this comedic gem was over-looked by many a critic. To me, it's a classic that will be enjoyed twenty years from now. The wonderful acting performances by Martin and Caine are side-splittingly HILARIOUS! Tie in the physical comedy of Martin, the snake-oil smoothness of Caine and a hilarious script and you've got yourself a winner. The scene where Freddie Benson has to endure five minutes of punishment from Dr. Schuffhausen will have you rolling on the floor!

I love the European backdrop of the French/Italian Riviera and the soundtrack is also well done. I have this movie on VHS and am looking forward to a copy on DVD, see this movie as soon as possible if you want some good clean fun!

This comedy has been one of my personal favorite funniest movies of all time. I love the way the surprising twists and turns create hilariously funny situations which are the reflections of two characters' personalities. I think Michael Caine and Steve Martin were perfect for this type of humor; they are great together on the screen.

Lawrence (Michael Caine) and Freddie (Steve Martin) are con-men who live off women; the former - big-time, pretending to be a King in the Exile and residing in a charming Mediterranean French town, the latter is good conning women into giving him small sums of money or buying him a dinner. The town is not big enough for them to work together. They agree to a "winner stays, loser leaves" bet. Enters American visitor - rich heiress Janet Colgate (Glenn Headly), sweet and naive young woman.

Glen Headly - an intelligent, attractive actress more than held her own opposite Caine and Martin. It is easy to first overlook her work but after the movie is over, you realize how effortless, artful, and complicated her performance is. Last time, when I watched the movie, my husband joined me and watching Glen Headly on the screen for what could easily be the tenth time, he asked how she did it. Perhaps, the art of How they do it not only What they do keeps me glued to the screen every time Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is on.

Highly enjoyable, sparkling, witty, and hilarious gem of the movie.

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a classic comedy, driven from beginning to end by the crafty characters created by Michael Caine and Steve Martin.

The storyline has been addressed extensively by other reviewers, but I will add that this film definitely breaks Mom's old rule: "don't make fun of the handicapped." Not only are Martin and Caine's characters both morally handicapped in the extreme, but Martin gets to play not one but two handicapped characters as he works his cons: one is in a wheelchair, and the other (Ruprecht)....well, I don't know exactly what Ruprecht's handicap is, but I can understand why he's kept locked up in his room.

Finally, this movie has a lovely look to it, allowing you to take a fantasy trip to the French Riviera, stay in the finest hotels and villas, and sip the best champagne - that's a step up from most movies these days right there. No explosions or violence. Amazing.

This is one of the best comedy films of the past 50 years -- intelligent, intriguing, classy and, above all, hilarious. It stands up well to repeat viewings, doesn't gain any staleness at all, and the handful of bust-out-laughing instances are so good that you still laugh out loud even if you've seen them five times. Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenne Headley gave absolutely superlative performances, and I hope they all had a lot of fun making this film.

Steve Martin at his loudest. Michael Caine at his dryest. Frank Oz at his smartest. Who could ask for anything more? A great script, amazing acting and wonderful direction makes Dirty, Rotten, Scoundrels one of the best comedies out there. It combines humor, surprise and conmen to make a deliciously malicious movie!

Fred Benson (Steve Martin) is a loud and obnoxious American con man, who gets sympathy from wealthy women who give him money. Laurence Jameson (Michael Caine) is a sophisticated European con man who takes womens money by playing the freedom-fighter prince fighting the communists. They meet in a train car, and their lives are never the same. They end up having a rivalry which builds up to them having a bet. All or nothing. Whoever gets a certain heiress to pay 50,000 dollars first gets the money, and stays in town to con more rich women, while the other leaves empty handed.

An original script executed in such a way that you want to watch it over and over! It has rewatchability and is just to darn funny to pass up!