Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers (WGA):

Dale Launer (written by) and
Stanley Shapiro (written by) ...

Release Date:

14 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners.

Plot:

Lawrence and Freddie are con-men; big-time and small time respectively. They unsuccessfully attempt...

Plot Keywords:

Soiling Pants | Con Artist | Corrupt Police | Sailor | Wheelchair

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Freddy Benson
Michael Caine	...	Lawrence Jamieson
Glenne Headly	...	Janet Colgate
Anton Rodgers	...	Inspector Andre
Barbara Harris	...	Fanny Eubanks
Ian McDiarmid	...	Arthur
Dana Ivey	...	Mrs. Reed
Meagen Fay	...	Lady from Oklahoma
Frances Conroy	...	Lady from Palm Beach
Nicole Calfan	...	Lady in Dining Car
Aïna Walle	...	Miss Krista Knudsen
Cheryl Pay	...	Lady with Pearls
Nathalie Auffret	...	Marion
Lolly Susi	...	Lady in Rolls Royce
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	English Sailor #1 (as Rupert Holliday Evans)

Runtime:

110 min | Turkey:104 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:S | Norway:5 (1989) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The crystal stemware used in the scene where Michael Caine is teaching Steve Martin how to act debonair is called Massena and is made by Baccarat.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Freddy passes himself off as a paralyzed naval officer but is wearing the blue dress uniform of a US Army enlisted man. (This may be an homage to Marlon Brando's original portrayal of Freddy in Bedtime Story (1964) (of which this is a remake); in that film, Freddy was actually a former US Army paratrooper and wore the same uniform in the corresponding scenes.)

Quotes:

Freddy Benson: [telling a phony story to sucker Janet into giving him money] I was engaged to a girl back in the States. And we loved to dance... we wanted to be professionals, isn't that silly? And we got an opportunity to compete on television, on Dance USA. So we agreed that if we won, we'd get married. So we went on, and we danced, and we won!
Janet Colgate: That's great!
Freddy Benson: And in the excitement, we got separated. So I went back to the studio, and there they were. Naked, dancing... and then they stopped, and they made love right there on the dance floor!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in It's a Good Day: The Making of 'Around the Bend' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

We're in the Money

Classic comedy, timeless situation, wonderful performers.

Remake of 1964's 'Bedtime Story' (written by comedy genius Paul Henning) moves right along with Michael Caine and Steve Martin sharing duties as professional opportunists one-upping each other in a conquest contest.

It's a sort of Martin and Lewis pairing, and, although the comedy is derivative, it's by no means boring or stale, likely due to the talent of the two marvelous leads.

Wonderful European landscapes are a bonus.

Well worth watching.