DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

 

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a 1988 comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine as the con artists of the title. Glenne Headly plays one of their targets. This film is number 85 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".  It is also the name of a Broadway musical adaptation of the film.

 

 

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels movie poster starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine

 

Film Poster

 

 

Tagline: Good guys finish last... Meet the winners.

 

Directed by:  Frank Oz

 

Writing Credits:  

 

Dale Launer

(written by) and

Stanley Shapiro

(written by) and

Paul Henning

(written by)

 

 

THE PLOT

 

Freddy Benson (Martin) is a small time American con man/aspiring gigolo traveling abroad with his sights set on the Riviera, specifically Beaumont Sur Mer, which he understands is easy pickings for a talent such as his. Why, on the train into town alone, he bilks a compassionate young woman out of dinner and twenty dollars, using the old: "I'm saving up for my dear old grandmother's operation" ploy. 

 

On that same train, however, observing Freddy's operation from across the aisle, is Lawrence Jamieson (Caine), a big time con artist/gigolo, who as it happens, lives in Beaumont Sur Mer. And instantly, Jamieson looks upon Freddy with disdain; after all, this is a man who has perfected the art of bilking rich young women for sums that fall into five and six digits by successfully masquerading as a Prince or some such Nobility, who needs vast sums of money in order to `save' his country from the Communists, an unspecified opposition, or whatever else will work. Furthermore, it's taken a lot of time and effort to get to where he's at, and he's not about to let the unseemly Freddy Benson cut into his act.

 

Actually, while both men are scoundrels, neither is quite that vile. Caine's Lawrence Jamieson is actually a bit of an altruist, as we find out, with a code of only taking in people who can afford to be taken and finding ways of spending the money that are not entirely self-serving. Martin's Freddy Benson is less disciplined and more small-time in his cons; he'll steal candy from a baby and tell you it's for his poor sick Gram-Gram if caught, but he is likeable, too, an underdog with little idea how the game is played at the highest levels, but eager to learn.

 

My favourite scene is where Steve Martin is pretending to be crippled in a wheelchair, having lost all feeling in his legs.  Along comes Michael Caine as Dr Emile Shaefhousen, a German pschiatrist, who promptly whips poor old Freddy Benson, by way of examining the patient, who cannot acknowledge the pain, and with silent tears rolling down his face, says he cannot feel anything.  At which point the good Dr takes the case.

The fact you can like these characters is a compliment to Martin and Caine, as well as director Oz and the team of writers. Tone is everything with a film like this, and as Oz says in his commentary, so important in making the comedy work. He notes he was going for a 1950s feel in the picture, probably with Hitchcock's "To Catch A Thief" in mind. The great score by Miles Goodman is solid enough to deserve its own CD reissue, with an air of light sophistication that buoys the proceedings on screen. Most importantly, since much of the comedy involves people taking advantage of one another, having everything put forward in such a gossamer manner helps you digest the story without leaving a bad taste.

Martin shines in many scenes, especially when playing Ruprecht the idiot man-child and when stuck in jail trying to remember the name of the only man he thinks can bail him out ("James Lawrenceton...no, wait, James Jesterton....no, no, it's definitely, um...") I knew Martin could be funny, and with the exception of "All Of Me" this is probably his best comedic performance, but Caine is a revelation. A straight man, yes, but with delicate timing and some clever characterizations that he pulls out of a bag. You forget how good Caine is in comedy, despite his performances in films like this, "Blame It On Rio," and "Without A Clue." Glenne Headly is a revelation as the woman caught in the middle of Jamieson and Benson's scheming. She is extremely good as her male counterparts, but say no more.

 

 

Michael Caine british film actor

 

Michael Caine - a legend

 

 

CONCLUSION


Great actors, great feel, but the plot is the best thing this film has. It's a remake of a 1964 film "Bedtime Story," which teamed Marlon Brando and David Niven for what should have been a dream team but went flat instead. This time, the script is helped by actors who can not only deliver funny lines but make them funnier, and by an ending (according to Oz in his commentary, one worked out over several long dinner meetings with Martin) that is perfect for the genre and leaves it open for a sequel.

 

 

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)

Hepburn Graham

English Sailor #2

Xavier Maly

Hotel Bellboy

André Penvern

Waiter on the Train

Louis Zorich

Greek Millionaire

Georges Gerrard Baffos

Assistant Hotel Manager

Valerie Beaufils

Pretty Beach Girl

 

 

 

Steve Martin hollywood film actor

 

 

Musical

  • The movie was adapted into a Broadway musical of the same name. It starred John Lithgow as Lawrence, Sherie Rene Scott as Christine (replacing the character of Janet), and Norbert Leo Butz as Freddy. The show was nominated for several Tony Awards in the 2005 season, including Best Musical. All three lead actors were also nominated in the Best Actor and Actress categories, with Norbert Leo Butz taking the Award for Best Actor.

 

Trivia

  • This movie is notable for giving Ian McDiarmid one of his most visible roles outside his role as Emperor Palpatine — namely, Arthur the cynical butler.

 

LINKS and REFERENCE

 

 

 

A - Z FILMS INDEX

 

 

 

A PERFECT STORM

ALIEN

AUSTIN POWERS

BABE

BACK TO THE FUTURE

BATMAN

BRAVEHEART

CAST AWAY

CATWOMAN

CON AIR

CROCODILE DUNDEE

DEAD CALM

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

DIE HARD

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

DISCLOSURE

DR. NO

ERIN BROCKOVICH

FIRE ON THE AMAZON

FREE WILLY

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

GLADIATOR

GOLDFINGER

HARRY POTTER

HORNBLOWER

JAMES BOND

JAWS

JURASSIC PARK

KING KONG

MAN ON FIRE

MASTER and COMMANDER

MEAN GIRLS

MEDICINE MAN

MEN OF HONOUR

MISS CONGENIALITY

MUMMY RETURNS

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

NAKED GUN

 

 

NATIONAL TREASURE

OVERBOARD

PARENT TRAP

PAYBACK

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

P2 DEAD MANS CHEST

RACE THE SUN

RAMBO

ROB ROY

ROXANNE

SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC

SEABISCUIT

SPEED

SPIDERMAN

STAR GATE

THE 39 STEPS

THE AVIATOR

THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO

THE DAMBUSTERS

THE FLY

THE MATRIX

THE PATRIOT

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

THE TERMINATOR

THE THING

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN

THUNDERBALL

TITANIC

TOP GUN

TREASURE ISLAND

TROY

TRUE GRIT

UNFORGIVEN

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

WAR OF THE WORLDS  

ZULU

 

 

 

 

A - Z ACTORS INDEX

 

 

 

Angelina Jolie

Anthony Hopkins

Arnold Shwazenneger

Arnold Vosloo

Brad Pitt

Brendan Fraser

Bruce Willis

Catherine Zeta Jones

Charlize Theron

Chris Cooper

Clint Eastwood

Daniel Craig

Demi Moore

Denzel Washington

Eric Bana

Eva Green

George Clooney

Gerard Depardieu

Goldie Hawn

Gregory Peck

Halle Berry

Harvey Keitel

Humphrey Bogart

Ian Holm

Ingrid Bergman

Jack Black

Jack Nicholson

James Cromwell

Jean Reno

 

 

Jeff Bridges

Jim Carrey

Joaquin Phoenix

John Hurt

John Travolta

John Wayne

Johnny Depp

Judi Dench

Julia Roberts

Julie Andrews

Kate Winslett

Keanu Reeves

Keira Knightley

Kevin Spacey

Kirsten Dunst

Kurt Russell

Leonardo di Caprio

Liam Neeson

Linda Kozlowski

Lindsay Lohan

Mads Mikkelsen

Marlon Brando

Matthew McConaughey

Mel Gibson

Michael Cain

Michael Douglas

Michael J Fox

Michael Keaton

Morgan Freeman

 

 

Naomi Watts

Nicholas Cage

Nicole Kidman

Orlando Bloom

Paul Bettany

Paul Hogan

Pierce Brosnan

Rachel Weisz

Richard Gere

Robert de Niro

Roger Moore

Russell Crowe

Sam Neil

Samuel L Jackson

Sandra Bullock

Sean Connery

Sharon Stone

Sigourney Weaver

Stanley Baker

Steve Martin

Steven Segal

Slyvester Stalone

Tim Roth

Tobey Maguire

Tom Cruise

Tom Hanks

Tommy Lee Jones

Uma Thurman

Willem Dafoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

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