Ruthless People (1986)

Wonderful Movie

To me, this movie is perfection.

Must See Movie...

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Acting: 20/20 Writing: 30/40 Directing/Editing/Production/Etc: 38/40Overall: 88/100 B+Review: Danny DeVito and Bette Midler really get a chance to showcase their talents in this film. Whenever either one is on the screen, they immediately grab your attention with the way that they completely give themselves over to these roles. The delivery of their lines are perfect, and the nuances of facial expression and body language from both actors are exemplary examples of how to take comedy to a higher level.Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater, as the kidnappers. also perform true to their characters and provide solid performances. In addition, Anita Morris and Bill Pullman add great entertainment values with their own characters. Bill Pullman, particularly, does a phenomenal job with his character.As far as the comedic part of this script goes, I have to give it an A+. This film is so clever and the jokes never stop hitting the mark. From the abundance of witty lines to the comical situations and the many scenes that intertwine the two, this film is well worth the watch. Some of the jokes were so direct and biting - but hilarious - I doubt they'd be used in a similar comedy in today's time.That being said, there were some choices in the script that took away from the film.*Spoiler Alert!*The biggest plot hole was the fact that the kidnappers were able to pull off their intelligent and elaborate scheme at the end of the film, yet had been so easily deceived by DeVito's character which "triggered" the kidnapping in the first place. This took away from the ending of the film.In addition, the ending scene of Bette Midler's character joining the couple on the beach with the 3 of them "going off into the sunset", after pushing DeVito's character off of the Santa Monica pier, was a very odd choice. Barbara was established as a very nasty character and while it can be said that her husband used her and maybe she gained weight from being so unhappy, she didn't get any nicer at the end of the film; There was no change in heart for her. So it was a bit odd that she lost 20 pounds, took her husband's money and walked off into the sunset without having to pay for her "ruthless" character, as others did in the film, but getting rewarded for it instead. Not sure if it was saying women can/do/should get away with that stuff or what the message there was?Furthermore, another plot hole was the fact that Anita Morris' character had her picture with Sam published in the newspaper (after the photos were found by the police) yet she wasn't contacted by the police, nor did she make any note of her picture being in the newspaper and even went on to keep "blackmailing" the police chief. This was odd, though the situation and lines used here were hilarious.*End of Spoiler Alert!*The beginning of the film starts with an animation sequence that lasts for about 2:35. It's not exactly the most enticing introduction and in modern times, could be seen as kind of cheesy. Aside from that, the flow and pace of the film were flawless and the editing and production etc. warrant no complaints.Overall this film is a really great comedy that delivered laughs throughout the entire film. A very fun watch!

Ruthless People (1986) is an excellent 80s dark comedy. It stars Danny DeVito and Bette Midler. The acting is great, I love Midler and DeVito's performances. DeVito plays an absolute sleaze bag rich man married to Bette Midler. Midler is kidnapped by a couple who was cheated by her husband. The movie has fantastic comedic writing and having great comedic actors involved just lifts up the good writing. If you like 1980s movies then you'll fall in love with this movie right away. I loved the different characters and motives they all had and how they all came to climax at the end. Barbra (Midler) really went through a transformation and I loved seeing her go from who she was to a much better version of herself. DeVito, well he didn't really do any progressing as a character, he pretty much stays a complete a**hole throughout the entire movie. But at least he's good at playing an a**hole. I loved the kidnappers too, they aren't your average bad guy kidnappers, you come to understand and relate to them, which makes the movie funnier and more entertaining. I suggest this hilarious well constructed comedy to people who love either the cast members or big comedy fans. 10/10! Exceeded my expectations for it.

It's a tight script for Touchstone, a comedy of errors where three plots and serial killer meet in a happy end. I saw this during its original release and loved it. I still love it. It's nice to see a movie without a lot of toilet humour and f-bombs. The dialog is filled with memorable lines but the humour is in knowing what the characters don't and the on screen charisma of Di Vito and Middler.Pay attention and you'll see the L.A. cityscape during the 80's along with all that was bad in 80's design along with Santa Monica Pier before the redesign in the 90's. Great film for a rain day or a bad mood.

This movie is really a thing to see, mainly for the genius Bette Midler role. The role is like a cross between the standard arrogant rich woman and Satan. She's crazy, "Evil Dead"-crazy, they really messed with the wrong person. I love all of her scenes, but the movie doesn't stop there. All these characters are great. A desperate Danny DeVito wondering what to do to make the softie kidnappers kill his wife is incredibly amusing as well. Even negotiating about the ransom doesn't work, how far will he have to go? The subplot about the mistress throws some Shakespearean misunderstandings to the mix, and even though I hate those, they really fit right into this movie. That's actually pretty much the general feel this movie will give you, it clicks very nicely. Some thinking went into this plot, and the jokes work well too. I love this movie.