Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Rating:
Summary: Funny comedy with great Martin and Caine
Review: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a funny movie that benefits greatly from the performances of its two main stars. Freddy Benson is a loud, crass American con man traveling through Europe by conning women out of money. Lawrence Jamieson is a suave, mannerly con man who has already established himself in the con business. The two meet up and at first are unwilling allies, but things go south quickly. In a duel of the cons, the two men see who can get $50,000 from a rich American heiress first. The loser has to leave town. The duel between Martin and Caine is the best part of the movie as they try to outdue each other. This isn't your usual Steve Martin but Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is still worth a watch.

Steve Martin and Michael Caine are great together as dueling con-men, Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jamieson. Martin's physical humor and Caine's dry humor work very well together. Glenne Headly plays Janet Colgate, the heiress they are trying to con the money out of. The movie also stars Anton Rodgers and Barbara Harris. The DVD offers the widescreen presentation of the movie and commentary from director Frank Oz. For a funny movie with great roles for Steve Martin and Michael Caine, check out Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!

Rating:
Summary: Verify which DVD edition you are buying!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Classic farce
Review: Martin and Caine re-writing the book on comedic duos, set in the lush French Riviera. Slows down a bit towards the end, but delivers the punch right when we need it, a feel good movie to the max.

Rating:
Summary: FUN FUN FUN
Review: Caine's class is as if Niven was still with us... and Martin functions at his best when in contrast with it.
I am against revealing the plot but as comedy goes there do not come any better then this.
ENJOY (at least once every two years...).

Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated Comedy Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely funny
Review: The first time I watched this film I noticed there are many similarities between this film and a classical film "Bedtime Story" ,which performed by David Niven and Marlon Brando. However the play of Steve Martin and Michael Caine made the film very interesting . Although Steve Martin is well known for the films like "Jerk" and " A Man with Two Brains" this is my most favorite Steve Martin film.All characters in this comedy film are charlatans except a lovely lady but...

Rating:
Summary: A movie that made my day
Review: Funny, nice scenario, good actors. I would consider it as a classic comedy.

Rating:
Summary: A Dirty Rotten Good Time!
Review: Steve Martin and Michael Caine deliver brilliantly outstanding performances in the classic comedy "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". The movie is a clever and whittingly humorous film that will leave you begging for more. Straight from the get go you can see the shrewdness and wit that is to make up one of the funniest movies that I have ever had the privilege of viewing.
Freddie Benson (played by Steve Martin) is a heartless con man who lives off the compassion and the sheer gullibility of women. Using stories such as that of needing money for his ailing grandmothers surgery, Freddie uses his persuasive ability to woo and swindle his victims into his web of deception; a deception he uses to extract the money from the women. He uses multiple tactics to aid his endeavor, which includes faking retardation, poverty, and physical disabilities. Although successful in his own mind, it isn't until a "business trip" to the French Riviera town of Beaumont sur Mer that he meets the master of all cons.
Upon arrival in Beaumont sur Mer, Freddie meets Lawrence Jamieson (played by Michael Caine) who immediately recognizes Freddie as the conniving con artist that he is. Recognizing Freddie as a threat to potential con victims, Jamieson tries to rid Beaumont sur Mer of Freddie the notorious jackal. When Freddie finally realizes that Lawrence is in fact a con artist himself, only in a higher league, Freddie persuades Lawrence to teach him the ways of swindling from a higher class of society. A higher class that would prove to be much more profitable and rewarding for Freddie. All his life Freddie thought he was the best at what he did; that is, until he met Lawrence. Lawrence made Freddie realize that he could do better. He realized that not only could he just get by from the cons he connived, but he could make money, a lot of money. Freddie wanted all that Lawrence had both in material wealth and in talents. Freddie wanted all of this, and he wanted to learn how to obtain it from the best con man himself, Lawrence Jamieson.
Realizing that the only way to get Freddie out of his hair was to give him what he wants, Lawrence agrees to take on Freddie as his apprentice and let him stay at his Riviera mansion. Through weeks of training and instruction not only as to how to obtain the money in cons, but also on how to spend the money, Freddie tires of putting up with Jamieson's schemes which have Freddie playing the role of Jamieson's maladroit brother Ruprecht the monkey boy. After putting up with just about all that he could take, Freddie decides that he was doing just fine on his own and leaves town. But Freddie soon changes his mind and decides to return and stay a while longer in Beaumont sur Mer to reap the benefits from the rich women in the area. Realizing that Freddie is taking away from his own business, Lawrence decides that there just isn't enough room for the two of them in the small town. The two swindlers come up with a scheme to decide who gets to stay in Beaumont sur Mer and who must leave. The scheme, or contest that they decide on is that the first man to extract $50,000 from the young American heiress Janet Colgate (played by Glenne Headly) wins the rights to work the beloved French Riviera town. From here on the games begin and the fierce competition gets low down and dirty as both con artists fight to obtain the working rights to their beloved town of Beaumont sur Mer. With their own pride at stake, the two con men will stop at nothing to ensure that they are victorious in their scheme. Freddie and Lawrence get so caught up in their competition that they are blinded to the fact that there is more to the lovely Miss Colgate than meets the eye. With a twisted ending, this is a film that won't leave the audience disappointed.
A critic on IMBD.com calls this movie, "A wonderful, inspired comedy, just perfectly written, directed, and acted. I am tempted to give it a "10", but give it a "high 9" because of the handful of serious films which in my view are just a notch up from this one. Still, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is one that I will watch over and over, as opportunities arise." A review on Amazon.com gives "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" five out of five stars and calls it, "A hilarious match of wits!"
Overall I would have to give this movie five stars and two thumbs up all the way. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is an entertainingly hilarious film that will keep you wondering what's next. Not only is this film side splittingly funny, but it is also a good clean comedy that the whole family can enjoy together. You can't say that about most comedies; a good film and at the same time something the whole family can view. The movie delivers never ending comedy and laughs while maintaining a PG rating. Men, women, and children of all ages will enjoy this classic. If you are one who likes to laugh, this is a movie that will deliver 110 minutes of pure laughter; It will not disappoint! So sit back, relax and get ready to have a dirty rotten good time!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, almost great DVD
Review: First off, this is a great movie. The writing, combined with Steve Martin and Michael Caine at their absolute best, make for a truly winning combination. I first saw this on cable back when it was new, and it continues to make me laugh.

Unfortunately, the DVD leaves a little to be desired. It does contain a nice commentary track by director Frank Oz, but nothing from Martin or Caine. The "making of" doc is pretty good, but should've been better. It's just a little too short for my taste. Still, the digital transfer is great, which brings out the beauty of the locations.

Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest movies of the last 20 years!!
Review: An absolutely terrific comedy!!! I won't rehash the plot much, but let's say that Steve Martin plays a crass, American, two-bit con man trying to move in on a town on the French Riviera, where Michael Caine, a suave, successful, tasteful con man, already runs the show.

The men start as rivals, then become reluctant co-conspirators (in the FUNNIEST scenes of the movie, and maybe EVER!), and then, in the extended final act of the movie, rivals again, both trying to con the same woman, a naive American (Glenne Headly, terrific and enchanting as always).

Martin gets to show off his best comedic moves here. His physicality and pure ridiculous side is amply on display, but his more sophisticated, verbal skills are showcased as well. I'd be willing to say this is best, sustained purely comedic performance. Michael Caine is PERFECTLY cast as the suave Brit. He isn't "funny" per se, really the straight man, but he is the perfect foil for Martin, and he is charming and winning. He's seldom been more appealing and lighthearted.

Frank Oz directed this movie with zest and the right amount of panache. We enjoy the scenery, and we are eased into the movie slowly. The tension between the men is allowed to build slowly over time, making the final twists and turns (and there are many delightful ones) all the more fun.

I've seen this film half a dozen times, and I've got all the twists memorized, but there are still scenes I look forward to eagerly, and still laugh hysterically over. IN one bit, Martin is assigned to play the younger, insane brother of "Prince" Michael. Caine lures the rich women, gets their money and devotion, and then introduces them to his revolting brother (Martin), who scares the women away, leaving their money behind. Martin is so unbearably funny, and Caine plays his end so straight that, truly, the five minutes this stuff takes up in the movie may be the single most delightful five minutes you can spend in a screwball comedy.

I don't like to toss out the word "classic" too often, but I feel that perhaps this movie warrants it. I know I'll be watching it again and again in years to come!