"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" was never really on my radar until my first meal with my (future) in-laws. Hearing the hijinks of Ruprecht the monkey boy will make anyone want to watch this. And I've loved it ever since.What makes this function so well (aside from the smart script) is the casting. Michael Cain's cultured straight man works exceedingly well with Steve Martin's wackiness. They're chemistry between the two leads, and both offer great performances. Glenne Headly is the unsung element; she fits in well with the other players, but when she shows up with that New York accent, it almost turns the whole movie on its head. Terrific stuff.As for Ruprecht . . . well, to me, it's some of Martin's funniest material. The eyepatch, corked fork, the pots and pans. It's brilliantly unhinged.8/10

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the sordid tale of two confidence men who bump into each other on the French Riviera and place an exorbitant wager on a mark. The first, Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) fancies himself a bit of a dandy. He's carved an opulent lifestyle for himself on the shores of Beaumont-Sur- Mer and would like his sleepy little town to stay that way. The second con- artist, Freddy Benson (Martin) is an unctuous but ambitious trickster who came to town hoping to learn from Lawrence but has since had second thoughts. He's the type of guy you'd see at a dog track, hustling for a good $20 here and there. Their mark; a naive nymph named Janet (Headly) introduced to the two as America's Soap Queen.Written by Dale Launer and based on the TV movie Bedtime Story (1964), the film was originally meant to be a starring vehicle for the affable David Bowie and Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones fame. If you close your eyes and listen carefully you can hear Bowie's droll intonations underneath Caine's yachtsman inflections. This is not to say Caine is unsuited for the role. Quite the contrary; Caine's star power, silent dignity and "up-for-anything" attitude brings to mind an old-guard acting sensibility channeling Alec Guinness in his prime. Being the straight man to one "Wild and crazy guy" is hard enough but to do so with effortless class is a downright miracle which the great Michael Caine pulls off.The previous year's Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) saw Steve Martin transitioning from his goofy, ironically infused brand of comedy, to the sullen but lovable rube role he used to coast through the 90's. Improvising much of his lines and energetically bouncing off the walls, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is seen by many as his final hurrah. A ham at his most acclaimed, Martin falls into a caboodle of eccentric characterizations, Prince Ruprecht being the most entertaining. He's an absolute comic gem, a permanent fixture in the comedic firmament and this film is Exhibit A to all the naysayers who saw The Pink Panther (2006) and thought he's not all that.If Howard Hawks thought every great film is three great scenes and no bad ones, then Dirty Rotten Scoundrels certainly fits the bill. There are in fact three scenes so astoundingly funny that it'd be easy to miss some of the subtler gags hidden in the quieter moments. What's more, each scene (both good and great) are natural extensions of the characters and play with our assumptions of where the film will ultimately lead us. Leave it to director Frank Oz to find moments of glee in the sophisticated halls of a ritzy Casino or the marble mezzanine of a Mediterranean villa.Of course this film is not without it's faults including most egregiously an outdated attitude towards women. Glenne Headly certainly holds her own against our two leading cads, and sure she does sneak in her own counter- plays, but when Lawrence refers to women as "the weaker sex," you can't help but feel the screenplay means that. In one scene Martin poses with a gaggle of bikini-wearing models at the beach. It's rumored in the European release those same models were topless and when the women were ordered to undress Oz referred to himself feeling like "the most powerful man in the world."I wouldn't challenge anyone who dislikes this film for that reason, though, for me, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has enough gut-busting laughs to overcome most of it's transgressions. Very few comedies deliver the goods as often and with such voracity as this film does. The film has since been turned into a live stage musical. While I cannot speak for it's quality I can say the casting of John Lithgow and Broadway legend Norbert Leo Butz should be enough to make you curious about the original winner.

Classic comedy of the kind that they really isn't made anymore, probably because it would seem too flippant and lightweight in our bleak and sophisticated modern world. Fun to watch for the nostalgia, the solid plot, and the performances (although, as usual, Steve Martin can be a bit too much at times). Nothing deep or profound here at all, just an entertaining way to pass nearly two hours. As other reviewers have mentioned, stick with it even if you are having your doubts, because the last 15 or so minutes really bring it home. For you parents out there, it's also basically clean (at least by modern network TV standards) beyond maybe a few swear words, if that's a concern of yours.

I can just image the fun that Michael Caine and Steve Martin had making this movie. How many scenes must they have had to shoot over because the crew and staff cracked up with laughter? This is a genuine masterpiece of comedy. Martin and Caine score a major home run with the bases loaded for this wonderful farce. The supporting cast fit the situation to a "T." This is far better than the original 1964 film that starred Marlon Brando and David Niven. The two writers of "Bedtime Story" are credited also for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning were joined by Dale Launer for this much better screenplay.A couple reviews thought Martin's character, Freddie, is dumb. Come on! He's incredibly naïve, as Caine's Lawrence Jamiesson notes early on. But, he's quick to catch on and Lawrence warns Inspector Andre (played by Anton Rodgers) that Freddie is a clever conman. Andre notes that the amateur Freddie goes after small change. But, Lawrence quips back, "You can't be too careful, Andre. After all, a poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away."Both conmen have their share of cunning – in setting up or preparing for scams. But then, as they encounter a roadblock, each just as quickly cooks up a scheme to give him the upper hand once again. These scenes are hilarious in themselves – when the camera pans on the face of the respective scoundrel and we see his expression as the scheme clicks in his mind. And then, the carrying out of the scheme brings more laughter. Freddie most often gets the short end of the stick, to everyone's delight because of the howling funny situations that ensue. These two fine actors are a natural match for comedy. It would be nice to see another great script that could bring them together again. The two characters are almost opposites, and thus the perfect match for much laughter. Here's an example toward the end of the film. Freddie throws a fit and says: "Of all the lousy… She is disgusting! She is lying, deceitful, two-faced! She is conniving and she is dishonest!" Lawrence, chuckling, says, "Yes. Isn't she wonderful?"I also liked the locations for much of the shooting – the French Riviera, around Villefranche and Nice, France. I vacationed there in the summers of 1963 and 1964 while on leave from serving in the Army in Germany. Of course, I didn't stay at the Grand Hotel du Caps-Ferrat or a luxury villa. That area along the Cote d'Azur has one of the most scenic shorelines in the world.One thing in the movie was so obviously wrong, yet everyone seemed to go along with it, so I wonder if it wasn't intentional. Could the writers and director have been spoofing the audience? This refers to the scenes of Steve Martin in a military uniform. The trivia section has an item about this – that he passes himself off as a naval officer, yet he's wearing a U.S. Army dress blues uniform that clearly shows the rank of corporal. This couldn't be a simple oversight, because several characters refer to him as "officer Benson." Jamieson, as a British Naval volunteer reservist surely would know the insignia of ranks on American uniforms, as well as branches of service. I think this may have been intentional and a spoof of the idle rich on the playgrounds of Europe. The point being that if they noticed Freddy at all, they wouldn't know one branch of service or one rank from another. And, one would think that Freddy was smart enough in running his scams, that he would know what uniform he was wearing and what rank it showed. Ergo, my hunch that this was intentional and meant to spoof the audience and the communities of the idle rich who could so easily be taken in by conmen and women. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a must for any comedy film collection. It's one of the funniest movies ever made.