User Reviews

I confess to loving comedies of the '80s, preferring them to what now passes for comedy. Ruthless People is a classic example of the genre, an extremely clever and funny film with a wonderful cast: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, Anita Morris, and Bill Pullman.

The story concerns a wealthy clothing manufacturer Sam Stone (DeVito) who wants to see his wife Barbara (Midler) dead and informs his mistress Carol (Morris) that he's going to kill her. The mistress sends her boyfriend (Pullman) to get the murder on tape so they can blackmail him. He gets something on tape, but it's not Stone killing Barbara. Carol doesn't look at the tape, and her boyfriend has never seen Stone, so they don't know what they have. Sam isn't able to murder Barbara because she's been kidnapped by two nice people who just want some money (Reinhold and Slater). Sam is thrilled - all he has to do is disobey all their orders, not pay up, and someone else will kill his wife.

This is a very engaging comedy about blackmail, attempted murder, mistaken identity, infidelity, stealing ideas -- none of which is a great premise for a comedy but all of which work beautifully here. Danny DeVito is hilarious, and Bette Midler gives probably her best performance as his wife, who just wants to lose a few pounds. Reinhold and Slater are as adorable as they are guileless.

Highly recommended.

I thought this movie was hilarious. Almost everything anyone says has a double meaning. (The police chief and the hooker, the big dog, etc) This movie will keep you laughing from beginning to end. Bette Midler is terrific as the kidnapped rich man's wife, and Danny DeVito is also fabulous as the scheming rich man himself. There are thousands of great one-liners that you will keep quoting for years after you see this movie (I know I have) like the unforgettable "I've been kidnapped by K-Mart!" and "You lying @#$*%^!!! Oh, honey, they made me say that!" This is a must see! So go see it! Now! What are you still reading this for, you should be out renting the movie!!

Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater all mixed and matched perfectly in this film about one loud and obnoxious woman. Hilarious in its implementation, the way the lives of the characters unfold in a funny and unpredictable manner. If you haven't seen this classic comedy, then get a whiff of this film, just to see the genius of DeVito and Midler in their primes. While the humor may be a little dated, it still offers some fairly clean fun for all to enjoy.

80's hidden gem. Rude, crude and very funny. Danny DeVito on top form, Bill Pullman is fantastic playing the idiot. Watch it

This is one of my favorite movies. I laughed hysterically at every joke, every joke hit its target. But that's not what's so great about this movie. This movie has an all-star cast (Devito, Midler, Reinhold, Pullman) and they do a great job with the script. But that's not what's so great about this movie. The best thing about this movie is the intricately woven plot, which keeps your attention and comes to a hilarious finale. This is one of the funniest movies ever. See this and you won't regret it.

Danny DeVito and Bette Midler are both incredibly talented actors and they each shine - as per usual - 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 their 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 a comedy performance to a higher level. The writing in 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. The beginning of the film starts with an animation sequence that lasts for about 2:35. This is a very zany, very 1980's type of comedy. Overall, this film delivered laughs throughout the entire film - a very fun watch!

"Ruthless People" is a genuinely original farce that kept me laughing to the point of exhaustion. It's masterful how all these characters interweave, creating more and more hilarious subplots. The cast is a tour de force. Danny DeVito gives quite possibly the best comic performance of his career! Bette Midler is also great as his whiny, obnoxious wife. It's good to see Judge Reinhold, who practically disappeared after finishing the "Beverly Hills Cop" flicks. An early performance by Bill Pullman is also worth checking out. I think he's a real cool actor, but he usually plays the same yuppie roles. Here, he plays a dim-witted, trailer-trash airhead and is a delight to watch. There are so many funny moments that will stick in my mind forever, like when the serial killer invades the house. "You look like my mother, I hate my mother." And the confusion that was created with the sex video was absolutely classic. I haven't seen a good comedy in a while, nor have laughed this hard in a while. That's why I was glad to catch this movie on the Starz Network, because it is one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen and nowadays, you ain't gonna see too many good comedies, nor great ones like this. A MUST-SEE!!!

My score: 9 (out of 10)

What ever happened to the farce? As time has progressed, pure movie comedies seem to be less about goofy, over-the-top characters and contrived situations and more about the characters themselves growing in unexpected ways and mining as much gold out of a singularly enjoyable premise. Think The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) or more recently, The Big Short (2015) to see what I mean. The competing thought in American comedy is that of the vehicle; a movie specifically designed for one actor or actress in mind. It's sad to think that in the last few years (heck arguably within the last two decades) we have not seen a good 'ol fashion farce come out of Hollywood. Honestly I think the only movie that ever came close to the delirious heights of One, Two, Three (1961) over the last decade was Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011).

Ruthless People is a relic; a true, blue unadulterated farce made by the same loons that made Airplane! (1980). Danny DeVito stars as businessman Sam Stone, the repugnant spandex mini-skirt king. In a bid to rid himself of his irritating wife, gain her $15 million fortune and rid himself of her un-house trained poodle, Sam has a surefire plan to murder her without implicating himself. He comes home to do the deed; Barbara (Midler) is nowhere to be found. The phone rings; Sam picks it up and a man on the other line informs him his wife has been kidnapped and they expect a ransom. "If you notify the police, your wife will be killed. If you notify the media, your wife will be killed." Naturally Sam is tickled pink. Thus a dozen or so fateful events and circumstances tie the lives of Sam, Barbara, the kidnappers (Reinhold and Slater), Sam's mistress (Dodsworth), her doltish Don Juan (Pullman) and a particularly nasty serial killer with mommy issues (Freeman).

The screenplay is written by the underrated Dale Launer based on an O. Henry short story. Launer's other credits include other well constructed and executed farces including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) and My Cousin Vinny (1992). Ruthless People however is his first screenplay thus the story occasionally suffers from a narrative lull as well as some conspicuously dropped exposition. The characters are perilously stock, forged from the collective works of Shakespeare and Moliere and diluted to pander to 80's sensibilities. Yet despite all this, the story is reliably funny, seething with venomous cynicism and stitched together by the fun performances of Danny DeVito and Bette Midler.

The direction however leaves much to be desired. A hit during its time, Ruthless People has aged about as well as Weekend at Bernie's (1989) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988). Part of it has to do with directors David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams (known collectively as ZAZ) whom temper their knack for slapstick and anarchistic flights of fancy. Perhaps it's their desire to try something different, or perhaps it's their inability to visually translate something they didn't write themselves, but what results is so-so physical comedy; largely and disappointingly provided by Judge Reinhold's milquetoast face.

Then there's the unmistakably 80's feel of the art direction. I realize the film is supposed to take place in glitzy Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles and I realize a lot of the characters are somehow involved in high fashion but for the love of God my eyes are bleeding! The angular decor, nasty amalgamation of pastels and paisleys mixed with harsh primary colors makes it seem as if a bullet train ran into John Waters's walk-in closet. Those who lived through the eighties and decide to watch this movie 30 years later, please enjoy yourselves then go home and burn the rest of your spandex.

Making a movie like Ruthless People today would be nearly impossible. Developing a screenplay basing its humor on goofy characters and miscommunication would seem out of place in an era of near constant communication. We deal with our own miniature farces everyday to be sure; especially every time we talk past each other on social media. Yet those are not the type of misunderstanding that farce feeds on to create scenes of discomfort, double meanings and giddy hilarity. In other words your Facebook feed has nothing on Ruthless People.

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.

Another somewhat forgotten '80s comedy (at least in my circles), "Ruthless People" has its share of genuine laughs and plot twists, but doesn't feel anything like you'd expect from a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker joint. It takes a while for the movie to really get going, and the opening is carried entirely by Danny Devito. That said, it's a worthwhile comedy, and features excellent performances by its two leads.

But here's why I would highly recommend this to anyone and their mother: this is the kind of villainous turn that DeVito was seemingly born to play. He's got the face, mannerisms and voice to really epitomize the slimy cretin who's trying to get away with murder; almost the living embodiment of the wicked sneer. This is something akin to his role in "Romancing the Stone" but he is undoubtedly enjoying his time making this movie. It is pure delight.

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 ****

I saw this film in the theatre when it was released in 1986. I have been to a lot of movies, and this is the only one that I HAD to see again--just to hear the lines that had been drowned out by the audience's laughter!

Often a movie's previews will give away all the funny lines of a movie, and I remember that the previews for "Ruthless People" gave away the classic "I've been kidnapped by KMart" line. But for once, there were so many hysterically funny moments in this movie that it didn't matter. It's just that funny.

So if you haven't seen it, you really are missing something. Rent it and be prepared to hurt your sides laughing.

Bel-Air clothing tycoon Danny DeVito (as Sam Stone) pops his cork when he discovers loud-mouthed wife Bette Midler (as Barbara) has been kidnapped. The ruthless Mr. DeVito was planning to murder her, anyway – now, he can simply let abductors kill filthy-rich Ms. Midler, then collect her side of the family fortune. This forces kidnappers Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater (as Ken and Sandy Kessler) to change their plans. They picked the millionaire couple because DeVito's business stole Ms. Slater's idea to manufacture spandex mini-skirts. Meanwhile, DeVito's sexy mistress Anita Morris (as Carol Dodsworth) and her handsome but dumb lover Bill Pullman (as Earl Mott) plan to blackmail DeVito for murdering Ms. Midler, unaware she has been kidnapped...

"Ruthless People" is generally successful at creating vulgar fun with the plot, nicely developed by Dale Launer. It is sourced to an "O. Henry" story, but is reminiscent of both "Too Many Crooks" (1959) and "The Happening" (1967). Like the earlier films, "Ruthless People" has a strong added value in that it accurately captures something – perhaps unintentionally – about the decade in which it was released. For many, this was the 1980s. A film with three credited directors, it nevertheless runs smoothly. However, nobody noticed Midler's bagged stunt-person was not overweight. Also, how many time does anyone, however stupid, send a VHS tape without watching it – if only to see if it recorded successfully? Everything wraps up cleverly on the Santa Monica Pier.

******* Ruthless People (6/27/86) Zucker-Abrahams ~ Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater

Brought by the makers of AIRPLANE, RUTHLESS PEOPLE is a laugh riot of a movie. Danny DeVito leads the pack as a greedy millionaire who plans to murder his wife for her money, but becomes rapturous when she is kidnapped. DeVito is hilarious in the lead role. Judge Reinhold delivers a wacky performance as the kidnapper. Helen Slater does a great job – and she's also beautiful – as the kidnapper's fashion designer wife, but the real star of the movie is Bette Midler, as DeVito's kidnapped wife. Though this movie lacks a little bit of the quality that AIRPLANE had, it still has its share of really good performances and hilarious one-liners. Great entertainment!

4 out of 5

So I revisited 1986's Ruthless People, well was it good I have to ehhh. I remember this movie being funny when I was a kid and when it was on the other day, I started watching it and just kept going until the end. This movie had two things going for it the almost always awesome Danny Devito and the very underrated Judge Reinhold (I wish his career would have lasted). It was directed by Jim Abrahams and David Zucker who gave us the comedy classic Airplane. This movie is no classic though. It has its moments but overall is forgettable, unless you want to see the cheesiest aspects of 1980's culture similar to the 1970's culture you would see in the recently reviewed "Saturday Night Fever", you can probably skip this one and download Airplane instead. if you like concise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews at http://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/

"Ruthless People" has one of the best premises in film comedy history.

Spandex miniskirt millionaire Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) plans to kill his battle axe wife (Bette Midler) for her inheritance. However, his plan is put on hold when she is kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnappers threaten to kill her if Sam doesn't pay, which is a-o.k. with Sam, and means he doesn't have to do his own dirty work. But the kidnappers (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) are too kind hearted to follow through with what they start. Meanwhile, Sam's floozy mistress (a smokin' Anita Morris) knows about Sam's plans, and sends her doofus boyfriend (Bill Pullman) out to videotape what he thinks is Sam killing his wife so that they can blackmail him.

This is a lot of plot to cram into a brisk 90 minutes, but this well written film never feels forced or rushed. Every scene conveys something important either for the story or about one of the characters, and not a moment feels wasted. The ensemble is terrific, each actor landing his/her jokes without fail. The standouts, though, are Bette Midler, who gives an outrageously vulgar performance pitched to the third balcony; and Judge Reinhold, who gives the film its heart.

One of the most quotable movies ever, the film also boasts a great opening credits sequence, one more reason to lament the fact that movies hardly ever have opening credits anymore.

Grade: A+

Yes the film is stupid but it's fun stupid. It's a fun film of misfortune and mistakes. Bette Midler shines in the film and Danny Devito is great. The film is very 80's and that's the fun of it it. It's a classic 80's comedy.

This may well be the funniest American film of the 1980's, with nonstop laughs from beginning to end. The pace of the film is almost exhausting, your throat will be sore from laughing yourself silly. It's closer in style to British farce than probably any other American film I can think of. It also sports a great ensemble cast. This was Bette Midler's *real* comeback. And Danny DeVito is delightfully nasty. Probably of best note is an early role for Bill Pullman, who is the brain-dead boy-toy lover of Anita Morris' character. Not to be missed by comedy fans, but make sure you see the uncut version (on cable or video).

Bette Midler in yet another one of her pain-in-the-neck roles. The wife of a wealthy man (played by Danny DeVito) is kidnapped for ransome by a desperate young couple (definite novices to the kidnapping racket), only to learn that DeVito has no intention of paying up, as he had long been tired of his nagging wife. DeVito plays up the heart-broken husband to police, while Midler and her captors are devising a plan to get even with the s.o.b.

There are many hilarious scenes, and even some moving moments of emotional sweetness, but soon past the half-way mark the engines lose steam. By the time everyone reaches the finish-line, the hot-cake has definitely cooled off. Still an enjoyable piece of light-hearted comedy, slap-stick, non-sense and all.

Yay hahahaha his movie is so funny and intruigngi it is a romp of epic fun and so forth maybe a little ugly looking surroundings but otherwise what a thing and yeah pretty much.