Scarecrow-88 Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker once again pull out all the stops with this multi-layered comedy featuring one absurd surprise after another. The general plot has two kidnappers (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) taking the wife of a mini-skirt spandex king for ransom. A greater motivation is behind the kidnapping: Slater was actually the one who came up with the mini-skirt spandex idea, but Danny Devito betrayed her with a crooked handshake! What Reinhold and Slater didn't anticipate was that Devito hates his wife (Bette Midler, in ferocious form), has a piece on the side (luscious red head Anita Morris), and had previously planned to have her abducted and killed himself! This has as good a comic cast as the 80s could provide: Slater is so adorable as the sweet wife who really was hesitant about the kidnap job, Reinhold's eyes are working overtime (this is a case where eyes produce some animated expressions, as Midler also bugs those bad boys in opportune moments) as are his funny reactions to one complex situation after another, Devito's facial expressions to the highs and lows that the plot provides are pure gold, the running gag of the police chief (William G Schilling) caught shagging a hooker (who agrees to make loud noises to arouse her client, ultimately sounding like she is being killed!) and Anita Morris (who keeps calling him, not realizing it was him in the car instead of Devito!) produces some uproarious dialogues, and Bill Pullman (his hair colored blood and costume imitating Sonny Crocket from Miami Vice!), as Morris' *other* lover, is as moronic as they come.How Midler bonds with Slater after the comment of weight loss (Midler spends her past time while in the basement, chained, working out to exercise videos!), Slater's talent at fashion designing (well, 80s fashion design), Reinhold's "bargaining down" the ransom price of Midler ("I've been kidnapped by K-mart!), the sex tape of the chief of police getting eyes from a number of television sets in an electronic store thanks to Pullman's miscalculation, Pullman believing Devito was killing a girl instead of the chief banging a call girl causing him to get queasy, Midler getting quite intense (her Rocky training, you could say) working out in the basement, Pullman's rather clueless attempt to steal from Reinhold (in clown mask) as the police tell him to stop, Devito's joy when it appears his wife is kidnapped and could be killed, Midler kicking Devito's ass while the cops walk away believing their marriage is on solid ground, and Reinhold's electronics salesman scenes (his dialogue about big speakers twice gets amusing results; one is equated to sexual compensation, another nearly lands an impressionable teenager with a pregnant girlfriend, overpriced speakers they certainly couldn't afford to be stuck with) all provide a wealth of inspired hilarity, spirited exchanges, and clever touches here and there. Ultimately, seeing Devito get his comeuppance makes for a satisfying finish. Midler is almost Devito's equal in terms of how the dialogue explodes off their face and rumbles volcanically from their voice. A strong 80s example of the right actors with the right kind of material at the right time. How the film inserts so many moving parts and yet ties them together where Devito is trapped in an ever-increasing bind is actually quite brilliant!

cteavin-1 It's a tight script for Touchstone, a comedy of errors where three plots and serial killer meet in a happy end. I saw this during its original release and loved it. I still love it. It's nice to see a movie without a lot of toilet humour and f-bombs. The dialog is filled with memorable lines but the humour is in knowing what the characters don't and the on screen charisma of Di Vito and Middler.Pay attention and you'll see the L.A. cityscape during the 80's along with all that was bad in 80's design along with Santa Monica Pier before the redesign in the 90's. Great film for a rain day or a bad mood.

Ed Miseta 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.

moonspinner55 Danny DeVito in the kind of role he does best: a lying, cheating, stealing scoundrel trying to bump off his shrewish wife...and devilishly delighted when a naive couple whom he's victimized kidnap her for ransom he never intends to pay. Loose rendering of O. Henry's story "The Ransom of Red Chief" by screenwriter Dale Launer is all set-up, no pay-off. The talented trio of directors (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker) give Bette Midler a great deal of elbow-room to comically cuss and fuss, but no one behind the scenes was apparently able to come up with a satisfactory conclusion. "Ruthless People" is all over the place: screwball nonsense, black comedy, slapstick, warmhearted sentiment. It treats the audience like juveniles who need to be buzzed every few minutes to keep their attention. The cast is bright, and a few of the one-liners are memorable, yet overall the film is pretty thin. ** from ****