Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

The swagger, panache and pizazz of the 1960s blend with the me-me spirit of the 1980s for a fun romp that, despite the sheer absurdity of it all, never fails to thrill and entertain at every twist and turn of the tightly written, surprise-filled plot. Michael Caine plays His Un-Highness to a tee, Steve Martin probably never needed Frank Oz to tell him just how to make sleaze adorable, and Glenne Headly expertly turns that audacious 60s charm all the way up to 11. The final two minutes probably contain more surprises and rapturous laughs than a 10-season sitcom, so much so that it would have been a prime premise for a sequel.

I have to disagree with those who do not consider this a classic. For my money, it is.Yes, it is a trifle long (but there's nothing I'd want to cut out).This film has certainly provided my family with some of its most enduring catchphrases ('Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom . . . Thank you', 'PS I kept the money. Did I do wrong?').For me the real humour is the irony in this film. Whole scenes of action and reams of dialogue take on different meanings for the viewer as more is revealed to the viewer of what is really going on. While within the action, characters with different levels of insight into what's happening understand words and actions with different meanings. It is actually very intricate and surprisingly clever - for Fozzy Bear.

If one scans my, wide-screen ONLY, and anally maintained DVD collection, you will find of the vast majority (80%) are dark, ideally SciFi, even noir psych thrillers. The remaining include a few blockbuster Marvel action movies (10%) and some unique documentaries (5%), and the last few are comedies. Comedy movies overall seem too immature for my tastes as a rule. I do not suffer the silly for silly's sake frat comedies well at all.. much less the high school and least of all the "Dumb & Dumber" fare.And yet.. this is one of my all time favorite comedies. Is it quite silly on occasion? Indeed. Is it somehow brilliant above all others? Doubtful. Yet it is so 'brilliantly' absurd in it's timing.. while being quite sexy due it's lovely and charming femme fatale character too.. and ends up being almost shockingly hilarious.Add the locations of the scenes.. and the absolutely brilliant presence of Sir Michael Caine.. mix in just the tolerable amount of Steve Martin's zany factor.. and this film stands up against all comedies throughout the film eras experienced during my 'fitty-five' years far above almost all others seen! #Bravo!

You may think from the title of my review that I didn't enjoy this movie. That couldn't be further from the truth. I thought Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was perfectly fun! I love Steve Martin, especially old school Steve Martin and this was the type of film that he was the King of in the eighties. This is absolutely made for him and showcases his awkward, quirky character comedy like fans of his look for. The only issue with the film (and maybe its not an issue at all) is that it is a by the book con-man comedy. You can read the back of the movie, look at the cover, and you know exactly what you're in for right down to the T. There are no surprises. Although the film has a fairly big twist in the end, I actually figured it out before the reveal and its a fun twist and absolutely made me smile but the film plants itself firmly in a neat little genre box and doesn't ever try to go outside of that for any reason. For fans of this genre or either Martin or Caine then you will absolutely love this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I just didn't get anything extraordinary out of it either. It was decent and I would watch it again. The gags are well placed and almost entirely in conjunction with the con angle.Steve Martin is absolutely perfectly Steve Martin in this. I love Martin, he is one of my favourite SNL/80's slapstick comedians and this is what he was born to do. We saw it in Roxanne, The Jerk, Mixed Nuts, My Blue Heaven and so on. His performance as the slimy, moronic Freddy is perfect for the film. You hate him, you love him, you laugh at him. Pure Martin! Michael Caine is perfectly cast as Martin's adversary at conning. He is suave and sophisticated and has more heart than Martin's character but he also sort of plays a back seat to Martin as well. Even the scenes of them together I feel like Caine isn't quite matching the comedic timing or exuberance of Martin which is understandable. Still Caine is good to be Martin's Yang to his Ying. Glenne Headly is also perfectly cast as the naive young target of Martin and Caine. Headly is quirky and fun and sort of irritating in a syrupy cute sort of way. She is the glue that holds the story and cast together and her and Martin are terrific together and easily have the best scenes.Its actually a very small cast, yes there are a host of small bit players but this film lives and breathes its main cast. They have the spotlight firmly placed on Steve Martin and that's where we want it. A legend in the film making business Frank Oz does directing duty and it definitely showcases his style. He has always been a terrific story teller and gets way more out of a script than what it presents. I mean, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels could have been completely forgettable if not for Martin and I think Frank Oz getting the most out of it. I must admit that I sort of expected a little more physical comedy and stunts but regardless its a fast paced, witty little story that will keep you watching and keep you laughing. Its an 80's classic for a reason. 7.5/10