I wasn’t old enough to beat the 18 certificate back in 1986, and it’s been a long, long wait for me to finally catch up on Ruthless People, 35 years to be exact. Directed by the Airplane team of David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, and written by Dale Launer, it’s never been remade or rebooted, and rarely seems to feature on tv or streaming. Turning up on Disney+, I was curious to find out what made this a runaway hit back in the day. Ruthless People is hard to categorise; it’s a sex comedy, but with very little sex, and even though the bad language was a novelty at the time, it’s tame by today’s standards.
The title itself is a joke; the various criminal elements depicted here are anything but ruthless, they’re mainly idiots; the only ruthless character here is a venal L.A. businessman Sam Stone, played by Danny De Vito who is planning to murder his wife Barbara (Bette Midler). Before he can do so, he tips off his mistress Carol (Anita Morris) about his plans, not realising that she and her partner Earl (Bill Pullman with dyed blonde hair, very Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading) are hoping to video-tape the murder and blackmail Sam. Things get complicated when Sam Stone returns home to find that Barbara has been kidnapped by Ken and Sandy Kessler (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) who are seeking revenge for Sam stealing Sandy’s spandex mini-skirt design. The couple threaten to kill Barbara, which is music to Sam Stone’s ears, and he immediately makes plans to avoid paying the ransom…
Ruthless People has got an obvious plot hole; it’s inconceivable that Carol and Earl don’t check the contents of the video-tape they record before sending it to Sam and subsequently the police. But that kinda fits in with the general theme of incompetence; Ken can’t hardly bear to squash a spider, and Sandy ends up bonding with their captive. Midler is wildly over-the-top as aerobics-obsessed Barbara, but she gives a great comic performance, and the pay-off is ingenious.
Plotting is an underestimated quality in great movies; Ruthless People seems to be somewhat neglected these days, but the goofy shenanigans come up fresh as paint now. Black comedy gets a bad name, there’s too many film-makers who think cruelty to animals or dead bodies will work for a cheap laugh. But Ruthless People feels like the kind of spec script that careers are based on; silly, funny, and amusingly vulgar enough to enjoyably waste 90 minutes with.
Good to hear this on Disney plus, was just old enough but not tall enough to get in and see it and had to rely on the trailers. Will be checking it out now so thanks for the heads up.
Just realised was younger then, must have been a different film.
I’m afraid I’ll have to accept your first answer, you have fourteen points and no passes.
This sounds amusing and I’m a big fan of inept criminals. However, De Vito usually is in films that are too crass my for taste.
So that’s a 100% hard “maybe”….
Yup, was racy enough to get an 18 cert at the time, but you could cut 6 lines of dialogue and get a PG.
That definitely tips things in it’s favor then.
Disney+ seems to be getting better all the time. This film seems familiar and I’m sure I have watched it at some point. Will check it out again though, great read.
I guess superheroes and Star Wars are the big draws, but the absorbed Fox back catalogue has all kinds of rare goodies…
I remember this quite well and it is silly but in a good way. I thought it was funny anyway. That’ll be a yep!
Excellent! I was a bit wary when this started, but by the end, I couldn’t begrudge the four stars. It’s got a break-neck pace, and some of the performances can’t help but raise a smile..
Flaunting your youth again I see. Oh well. I never did catch up with this one and have to think I won’t bother now. Eighties comedies don’t hold up so well, I find. Saw Beverly Hills Cop again a few months ago and just felt depressed.
No! Beverly Hills Cop is a stone-cold classic! It’s the only one of Murphy’s films I really like. Either these films have changed, or you have, and I’m going with the latter. Only one Christmas decoration too? You’ll be getting a visit from the three spirits this Xmas….
I have definitely changed.
How many decorations do you need? Lights are too much work.
That is NOT the Xmas spirit. Come here, boy, here’s a shiny sixpence for you if you’ll come back with a turkey as big as a pirate’s treasure! Otherwise, it’s the ghost of Charlie Chan future for you…
Do you have a full nativity scene in your front yard, with live farm animals? Pictures please!
Not yet, but we’ll do something, even if it’s just putting antlers on the cats. I’ll try and photograph some of the festive scenes as we go along. Don’t you have Xmas around your gaff?
Nope. This is the town Christmas forgot. Looking forward to your holiday pics though.
Well, YOU can make it a holly-jolly Crimbo by capering down your main street in your nightgoon, wishing everyone the best for the festive period. Pics or it didn’t happen.
If it does happen there may be booking photos.
What’s a booking photo?
A mugshot. The picture they take of you when you’re booked.
Ok, can I book you to play Widow Twankey in the Blanefield community Crimbo Panto from Dec 16th to 23rd? Thanks.
Touring with my Loverboy cover band over the holidays. Everybody’s working for the weekend. Sorry.
Bins!
Hope that turns up on YouTube!
Crimewatch, probably…
Hahaha that too.