Not everyone will like this movie but there are many who do. My mom and I absolutely fell out of our seats laughing when we watched this; my brother, on the other hand, barely cracked a grin. Anyway, with an ensemble made up of people like Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, and Judge Reinhold, what more could you possibly ask for? The way I see it, this is a take-off of any kidnapping story that you will see in the news or on true crime TV shows...only there's nonstop comedy at every turn. As my mom and I have said, this is one movie that is not meant to be taken seriously.Mr. DeVito plays a husband who desperately wants to get rid of his wife, who is played by Miss Midler herself. Then you have Judge Reinhold, who plays one of the bumbling kidnappers. DeVito and Reinhold concoct a plan that is surely foolproof, right? Not so much, apparently. From the moment that she is kidnapped, Bette tries everything in her power to buy her captors' trust and get out. Probably one of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when she is on the phone and letting off a string of obscenities that you have to hear to believe. My personal favorite line: "I've been kidnapped by K- Mart!" Every time I hear that line, I can just picture her saying it and then I roll over laughing. In the very end, Bette gets revenge on her husband and her primary kidnapper and walks off into the sunset. Can't go wrong with that, if you ask me.From start to finish, this is a comedy that you have to see to believe. Granted it may not be for everyone, you may like what you see. Enjoy.

Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, Anita Morris and Bill Pullman star in this 1986 comedy. This takes place in California where we meet Sam Stone (DeVito), a wealthy, obnoxious businessman who plots to murder his wife, Barbara (Midler). His plan backfires, when she's kidnapped by Ken (Reinhold) and his wife, Sandy (Slater), ex-employees of Sam who want payback. Things also go unexpectedly for them, when they learn that Sam doesn't care what happens to Barbara. Soon, Barbara bonds with her kidnappers and they work together to teach Sam a lesson. The late, Morris (18 Again) plays Sam's mistress, Carol and Pullman (Spaceballs) plays her dumb boyfriend, Earl who unsuccessfully try to blackmail Sam. This is a good 80's comedy with a great cast and DeVito & Midler were also in "Get Shorty" 9 years later. I recommend this.

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker started out making movies like "Airplane!". With "Ruthless People", they took the style epitomized by 1960s comedies - a scheme snowballs - and turned it into a satire on the nouveau riche. Upon learning that his wife has gotten kidnapped by a pair of designers angry about a stolen prototype, a clothing designer celebrates, hoping that he can run off with his mistress. And before too long, more and more people get pulled into the fiasco.Danny DeVito's character is the typical slimy businessman; he even buys a dog and names it Adolf! Bette Midler looks bizarre wearing a wig. I think that Helen Slater's character was my favorite, but Anita Morris's was also enigmatic. And then there's Bill Pullman (whom I never confused with Bill Paxton): he has bleached hair! It's not the funniest movie but I enjoyed it. It's got a lot of "oh no...oh yes" scenes. You'll like it and you'll like Midler's other 1986 movie poking fun at rich Angelenos: "Down and Out in Beverly Hills".PS: "Weird Al" Yankovic spoofed the theme song as "Toothless People".

Ruthless People is, without question, the funniest movie that most people have never seen. Released in the mid-1980s, I do not recall this flick getting a lot of exposure or box office hype. Still, it is one of my favorites of all time and a must see comedy for everyone. A man and his wife kidnap the wife (Midler) of a fashion executive (Devito) to get payback for him stealing the wife's fashion designs. What they don't know is that he had plans to kill her the very day they kidnapped her. They demand money, unfortunately he doesn't want her back. What follows is an absolute comedy of errors. Devito's girlfriend has plans to get rid of him so she can profit. Her boyfriend (Pullman) is one of the dumbest (and funniest!) people you will ever meet. There is a detective who gets pulled into the mess via a video of himself with a hooker, a serial killer, and more to keep the laughs rolling. All of the characters are amazing. This is one comedy that will keep you laughing and that you will not regret watching. If you enjoy this, check out Quick Change with Bill Murray as well.