Ruthless People (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Ruthless People' (directed by David & Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams) stars Bette Midler as Barbara Stone, a spoiled rich housewife who is kidnapped by the kindly Ken & Sandy Kessler (Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater). Barbara's maniacal husband Sam (Danny DeVito) has ripped off the Kesslers & they decide to hold Barbara for ransom $$. Sam, who would like his wife dead (hates her, wants her father's fortune), refuses to pay said ransom. Eventually, Barbara befriends her kidnappers & together they figure out how to exact revenge against murderous Sam. Chaos ensues.
I love everything about this movie. Right from the first scene, in which DeVito is having lunch with his conniving mistress (Anita Morris), we see how diabolical & mischievous his Sam is. Love it! Though the kidnappers say that they'll kill her if he doesn't pay (which he, of course, never intends to), watching him nearly squeal in evil delight at the possibility of Barbara dying is a riot. The premise that he would not pay the ransom because he really wants her dead is hysterical ... especially since the real kidnappers are amateur wimps who only want their $$ & would NEVER think of really killing her in the 1st place! DeVito makes for a loveable villain. He's a slime ball. But his physical reactions (furrowed brows, bug eyes, squealing voice, scheming thoughts) make you love him. I also loved Bette Midler here (also great in this year's Down & Out in Beverly Hills). Her entrance into the movie - kicking & screaming in a burlap bag - is memorable. And the profane dialogue she spews at her kidnappers and subsequently her husband thereafter (and for most of the rest of the film) is just fantastic. It's a juicy role played by a juicy actress.
And for as good as DeVito & Midler are, the rest of the ensemble cast shine, as well. Judge Reinhold & (especially) Helen Slater make for a wonderful Nervous Nelly kidnapping duo. Anita Morris - with her deliberate speech patterns, thick southern accent, & jittery-around-Sam presence - is great as DeVito's attractive, money-grubbing mistress. And Bill Pullman (in his debut performance) is wonderfully dim-witted as her bleach-blonde would-be criminal boyfriend. William G. Schilling is amusing as a police chief who is embarrassingly caught in the act of adultery, yet is assumed to be a murderer. And J.E. Freeman makes for the most believable serial killer that I've seen in a film in quite a while. The scene where he shows up in the Kessler's home & encounters the Midler character is TRULY terrifying.
As you can see, though this is a hysterical comedy, there's a little bit of everything in here (serial killers, mistaken identities, blackmail, & WONDERFUL revenge in the climactic pier sequence). It's hard to keep all the plot lines & characters alive at once ... but 'Ruthless People' juggles it all. The dilemmas are never ending. I could single out a plethora of moments that stand-out in this film. But one of my faves is when Midler's Barbara learns that Sam is trying to buy her back at a discount. The scene is tinged with both sadness & comedy. So if you want to see a comedy caper with fearless dialogue, mean-spirited craziness, humor, zest, loads of fun, good performances, & a script of diabolical ingenuity ... look no further than 'Ruthless People'.
I love everything about this movie. Right from the first scene, in which DeVito is having lunch with his conniving mistress (Anita Morris), we see how diabolical & mischievous his Sam is. Love it! Though the kidnappers say that they'll kill her if he doesn't pay (which he, of course, never intends to), watching him nearly squeal in evil delight at the possibility of Barbara dying is a riot. The premise that he would not pay the ransom because he really wants her dead is hysterical ... especially since the real kidnappers are amateur wimps who only want their $$ & would NEVER think of really killing her in the 1st place! DeVito makes for a loveable villain. He's a slime ball. But his physical reactions (furrowed brows, bug eyes, squealing voice, scheming thoughts) make you love him. I also loved Bette Midler here (also great in this year's Down & Out in Beverly Hills). Her entrance into the movie - kicking & screaming in a burlap bag - is memorable. And the profane dialogue she spews at her kidnappers and subsequently her husband thereafter (and for most of the rest of the film) is just fantastic. It's a juicy role played by a juicy actress.
And for as good as DeVito & Midler are, the rest of the ensemble cast shine, as well. Judge Reinhold & (especially) Helen Slater make for a wonderful Nervous Nelly kidnapping duo. Anita Morris - with her deliberate speech patterns, thick southern accent, & jittery-around-Sam presence - is great as DeVito's attractive, money-grubbing mistress. And Bill Pullman (in his debut performance) is wonderfully dim-witted as her bleach-blonde would-be criminal boyfriend. William G. Schilling is amusing as a police chief who is embarrassingly caught in the act of adultery, yet is assumed to be a murderer. And J.E. Freeman makes for the most believable serial killer that I've seen in a film in quite a while. The scene where he shows up in the Kessler's home & encounters the Midler character is TRULY terrifying.
As you can see, though this is a hysterical comedy, there's a little bit of everything in here (serial killers, mistaken identities, blackmail, & WONDERFUL revenge in the climactic pier sequence). It's hard to keep all the plot lines & characters alive at once ... but 'Ruthless People' juggles it all. The dilemmas are never ending. I could single out a plethora of moments that stand-out in this film. But one of my faves is when Midler's Barbara learns that Sam is trying to buy her back at a discount. The scene is tinged with both sadness & comedy. So if you want to see a comedy caper with fearless dialogue, mean-spirited craziness, humor, zest, loads of fun, good performances, & a script of diabolical ingenuity ... look no further than 'Ruthless People'.