Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305075400
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305075409
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Release Date: December 17, 1997
Running Time: 110 minutes
Sales Rank: 54161
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: December 14, 1988
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Editorial Review:
Description:
A connoisseur of conning, Lawrence Jamison is running the ultimate royal scam on the Riviera--he's posing as a deposed prince raising funds for the freedom fighters of his stricken homeland. But his 'hustling highness' gets royally flushed when a pretender to his throne turns up. He's Freddy Benson, a small-time scam artist who has enough on Jamison to make a mess of the monarchy. So the rivals make a wager--the first to extract $50,000 from the next woman they see, wins. And the loser goes into exile.
Amazon.com:
Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) is a crass, loud American. Laurence Jameson (Michael Caine) is a suave, urbane European. Their common ground is that they both are confidence men, and they meet in a train compartment as Benson is scamming his way across Europe, taking advantage of women's generosity. The two are forced into a rivalry, which culminates in a wager to see who can be the first to bilk $50,000 out of American heiress Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Their game of one-upmanship is, of course, brought to ridiculous heights as things progress. Written by Paul Henning (the mind behind such TV shows as Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is an uneven but funny mix of Martin's physical comedy and Caine's oily charms. Martin's first role as cohort is to assume the persona of Ruprecht, the 'special' younger brother intended to scare off potential brides. As Ruprecht, he comes off as a cross between The Andy Griffith Show's Ernest T. Bass and Jerry Lewis; hilarious as it is, it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the film. Once the wager is on, though, Martin slips into his overly earnest mode as an American military man suffering from hysterical paralysis, with Caine as a psychologist who takes on his case. All in all, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (a loose remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story with David Niven and Marlon Brando) is a droll, intelligent comedy, short on knee slappers but long on comic situations and characterizations. --Jerry Renshaw
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A Classic Comedy
An American con-man who strives for the quick cash, a Suave European con artist who prefers the more organized and high paying con.What do you get when these two men collide?, you get one of the most treasured comedies to date. Steve Martin plays an American con artist who has his sights on Europe. While traveling by train he meets the greatest con artist in all of Europe ,who is played by Michael Caine.Michael Caines character appears to con by a strict set of rules, as he plans every detail and he never cons anyone who can't afford it. Upon running into the latest victim of Caine's sceems, Steve Martin uses his knowledge of the crime to black-mail Michael Caine into teaching him the art of the Big Con.What follows are some of the most hilarious scenes of comedy in film history.After performing in several con jobs and recieving nothing but knowledge Steve Martin decides that it is time to up the stakes; the two men agree on a wager to steal an enourmous amount of money from a wealthy woman; whoever loses must leave Europe for good.Steve Martin decides to portray a wounded war veteran "Freddy", who's mother needs an opertation and who's fiancee has left him, While Caine decides to portray the good doctor "Emil Schuafhousen", who is just the man to treat Freddy's symptoms.Slowly each man begins to fall for the lovely "Janet", and soon the wager changes from money to Love. The ending of the film is a shocking conclusion that leaves the veiwer gasping.In conclusion, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is an absolutely ... Read More
Rating:  - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels review
So funny, so good. You can't go wrong with Steve Martin & Michael Caine. My favorite character is Ruprect.
Rating: - Always fun
We have seen this at least 5 times now and it's a film you can still laugh at each and every time. Michael Caine was great.
Rating:  - Disappointing Steve Martin
This is not nearly as amusing or clever as reviewers would have one believe. The script is inconsistent and ultimately depends upon an Agatha Christie type identity switcheroo at the end, a very cheap way to end a story. Miller overdoes things, especially the Jerry Lewis impersonations. Caine is as cool and effective as usual. On the whole, the film is only average entertainment for the superficial.
Rating: - As good as ever.
Steve Martin was all about the painfully obvious humor. Michael Caine is so much a stuffed shirt.
What they have together here, however, is damned funny. I must have seen this better than a dozen times now but there are still laughs throughout. It's always nice as a small gift ^_^
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