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
"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