Wonderful Movie

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

Businessman Sam Stone does not like his wife Barbara; he only married her for her money and as the film opens he is telling his mistress Carol that he is going to kill Barbara. When he gets home he is ready to do the deed; the problem is there is no sign of her. The phone then rings… it turns out that Barbara has been kidnapped and the kidnappers want half a million dollars and total secrecy if he is to see her alive. He can't believe his luck and informs the police and media then waits for the kidnappers to keep their promise. It doesn't work out as planned though as the kidnappers aren't the ruthless people they claim to be; they just want the money they think Stone owes them after he stole their idea and made a fortune. In a secondary plot Carol decides to blackmail Sam by filming him dumping the body; of course there is no body but Carol's stupid partner films a couple's rather noisy love making and thinks he is witnessing a murder… Sam enjoys the tape but the police chief doesn't as he is the man in it! As the film progresses the kidnappers lower their demands and Barbara uses her captivity as an opportunity to get fit.The actresses' hairdos may place this film firmly in the eighties but the film hasn't dated. Danny DeVito is great as the poisonous Stone; a character who is as odious as he is hilarious. Bette Midler is equally good as his wife; one can see why he wants her dead as she starts off as unpleasant as him. Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater are both on good form as bumbling kidnappers Ken and Sandy Kessler… the most likable of the protagonists. The laughs are plentiful and the story is entertaining; it is definitely worth watching and although there are a few slightly adult moments it doesn't descend into crudeness.

Danny DeVito in the kind of role he does best: a lying, cheating, stealing scoundrel trying to bump off his shrewish wife...and devilishly delighted when a naive couple whom he's victimized kidnap her for ransom he never intends to pay. Loose rendering of O. Henry's story "The Ransom of Red Chief" by screenwriter Dale Launer is all set-up, no pay-off. The talented trio of directors (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker) give Bette Midler a great deal of elbow-room to comically cuss and fuss, but no one behind the scenes was apparently able to come up with a satisfactory conclusion. "Ruthless People" is all over the place: screwball nonsense, black comedy, slapstick, warmhearted sentiment. It treats the audience like juveniles who need to be buzzed every few minutes to keep their attention. The cast is bright, and a few of the one-liners are memorable, yet overall the film is pretty thin. ** from ****

Ruthless People is one of my more likable 80s comedies. Like some 80s movies it's age shows, particularly with technology scenes. But the humor is well intact thankfully. It's slapstick and sometimes vulgar, but with a decent frame-worked story to go along with it. It has some good chuckles and a couple laugher scenes. The 4 leads are very well cast and especially Midler and Reinhold are good. (spoiler) In before becoming more mainstream is Bill Pullman playing male bimbo/boyfriend in probably the best scene in the movie - the swat team/ransom scene. Other great scenes involve Midler and her captors earlier on and the antics her character pulls. You can generally tell all involved are enjoying themselves and it shows. If you like slapstick with a bit of vulgar (not nearly to today's standards of vulgar btw), you should at least be entertained by this comedy.