Anita Morris, Art Evans, Bette Midler

A milestone comedy of the 1980s, Ruthless People delighted critics and audiences alike and set the tone of Hollywood comedies for years to come. Along with that other popular farce about wealth...( read more  read more... )y Californians, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, this ingenious romp revived Bette Midler's career and launched Disney (by way of its subsidiary, Touchstone Pictures) into the lucrative production of R-rated comedies; it also ensured the star power of then-TV star Danny DeVito. Dale Launer became Hollywood's hot screenwriter du jour by cleverly reworking O. Henry's Ransom of Red Chief into a wicked tale of marital malice heightened by a bungled kidnapping. Midler is sublime as the victim of low-rent abductors ("I've been kidnapped by Kmart!"), and DeVito's the gleeful philanderer who refuses to pay ransom for his wife's unwanted return. With Anita Morris, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, and Bill Pullman among the plot-twisting schemers, the movie's so much fun that an eventual remake seems almost inevitable. --Jeff Shannon

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16,978 ratings

DVD Release Date: April 2, 2002

Stats: 540 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (540)


  • November 6, 2009
    This is one film that can always raise a smile with me. Even now, after all these years, it's still an outrageous, engaging, thoroughly nasty comedy that leaves me in fits of giggles. It has dated quite badly (just check out Sam's house, my god!), but the plot is still as fresh a...( read more)s ever. I love the way it twists so many times, you never know what's going to happen next or who's going to do what. Movies like this can be addictive, and Ruthless People is no exception. Danny DeVito and Bette Midler are fabulous as Sam and Barbara Stone, DeVito doing his evil little man routine with ease and Midler at her usual best. Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater's characters are probably the most unexciting of the bunch, but they bring an endearing quality to Ken and Sandy that make them watchable. Anita Morris and Bill Pullman round out the cast as man-eater Carol and dense Earl (`This could very well be the stupidest man on the face of the Earth', classic!). Ruthless People is unique in that all the characters are quite vulgar and awful, and shouldn't really be all that likeable. But, in a very strange way, they are. It brings out the venomous, and indeed ruthless, side of you as you're rooting for the characters to succeed in their dubious aims. The film ends as it should, and after 90 minutes or so have passed, you realise that you've been laughing non-stop and that this is a comedy to savour. I enjoyed every minute of Ruthless People and I defy anyone to not laugh consistently through this. Genius.
  • October 1, 2009
    Some of the greatest movies ever came from the 80's. Some of the worst movies ever came from the 80's. This is one of the bad ones. Bette Midler, ugh!
  • January 11, 2009
    ''So, if I look like his mother and you look like his father, this is what our son would look like. Pretty strong argument for birth control.''

    A couple, cheated by a vile businessman, kidnap his wife in retaliation, without knowing that their enemy is delighted they did

    ...( read more).

    Danny DeVito: Sam Stone

    Back in the 80s there were many examples of comedies and spoofs. Ranging from Overboard, Splash!, Beverly Hills Cop to Animal House, and Police Academy. This effort, this Ruthless People is another 80s comedy which strives upon it's faceted strengths and indeed weaknesses. One of them being a dual effect strength and weakness, the silliness,the unrelenting tone of the film. This tone shows us that this story and film is abit of fun, abit of a laugh not to be taken too seriously. The story consists of a couple whom wouldn't hurt a fly, being swindled by a malicious advocate, thus in retaliation they do something surprising. They kidnap his wife and demand ransom. The twist being this business man hates his wife and was planning to kill her himself. Ironically twist drops upon twist and predicaments arise in which the wife teams up with the couple.

    Back in the 80s many of the cast were considered high profile actors. Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Judge Reinhold...all big names in the decade, back in the day. They all act out the characters to the best of their ability and to the limit of the quirky script. Whats nice is that we have Danny DeVito playing an absurdly bad ass nemesis while Bette Midler his wife to start with is a similar kind of character. Her transition and weight loss that transpires within Ruthless People is another delightful bonus the story has to offer. Thankfully we are treated to funny sketches in every scene we see with her in and the other cast. Interestingly enough,a young dyed haired Bill Pullman playing Earl Mott, makes an appearance, upon researching we find this is first film.

    ''I mean, what the hell's the point of being a decent person when no-one is?''

    Ruthless People bombards us with some hilarious dialogue and upsurd happenings. For instance, a ridiculous amount of police cars lined up following Judge, raises an eyebrow or two. A bedroom Killer plot thread thrown in, where he does a performance and dialogue that resembles something Heath Ledger watched for his Joker inspiration. The comparison arose for me,after watching yet again Dark Knight, see if you agree with these bizarre mother father referendums the character makes.
    Another interesting fact about this film is that Bette Midler claims that Danny DeVito phoned her twice after the premiere: once to congratulate her, and a second time only twenty minutes after the first call, during which he and Midler both broke down in a nervous frenzy over how terrible the movie was, and how both of their careers were over. The film, ironically, went on to become a box-office success.
    Which shows people did have a sense of humour and appreciation for comedies back in the hey day of funk and film. This is an evolution of the 70s, a dirty, big haired piece, that's got a black comedy vein to it. Indeed it seems this outing would of even set up inspirations for future films like Death Becomes Her or even Gump or Groundhog Day. Perhaps not completely inspirationally but on a impartial, diluted way and sense.

    So overall Ruthless People is an enjoyment. My three star rating isn't a negative, but a positive balanced venture and appreciation for a film that isn't perfect yet knows it. This is a ballsy comedy with a lightly spread darkish tone. It has the funky 80s music, the dated clothes and hair, the spirit of a by gone era that seems like yesterday. Obviously this film still has a cult following and it's obvious to see why, this is a sort of Aeroplane! spoof of mild black comedy.
    Granted none of the situations become graphic or are allowed to become overly serious or violent. But this is the nature of the film, and whether it be Short Circuit or any other 80s comedy fair, Ruthless People will always provide belly laughs and crack a smile on even the most serious of audiences.

    ''Well, let's face it, she's not Mother Teresa. Gandhi would have strangled her.''

  • December 25, 2008
    Funny movie about a rich man's wife who is kidnapped but he doesn't want to pay the ransom money to get her back! The wife then teams up with her kidnappers to fleece her husband. Great cast.
  • May 17, 2007
    Back in the 80s, studios were bizarrely convinced of Bette Midler's star power...this is probably the least offensive of her offerings, a mildly amusing caper movie in which an amusingly hateful and spoilt Midler is kidnapped by a goody two shoes couple, only to find her spiteful...( read more) husband Danny DeVito unsurprisingly doesn't want her back. Not too bad actually.
  • August 23, 2009
    I just laughed all the way through this movie, Bette and Divito play it so well, if your a fan you'll love it.
  • August 11, 2009
    Very very very funny. Almost peed in my pants the first time I saw it. If you haven't seen it, you must.
  • August 6, 2009
    let's go to the big room.
  • July 25, 2009
    An excellent 80's comedy! This one belongs as one of my favourites because it's not your average, run-of-the-mill comedy. The plot has some thoughtful twists that are undeniably well performed and produced.
    A great script and a tight cast make this all the more watchabl...( read more)e. Every character has some involvement throughout the story and some are intelligent and others are not so! The character of Carol and her 'skunk-haired' young lover are totally bewildered as to what's going on and as is Sam Stone.
    Honestly there are no reasons why anybody could call this bad. A great film overall with a catchy theme tune and soundtrack.
  • July 11, 2009
    This movie is one of my favs.. me and my mom would watch this all the time when we caught it on tv.. luvs it..

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Ruthless People Trivia


  • What 1986 comedy was inspired by an O. Henry short story?  Answer »
  • What movie starred Danny Devito, Bill Pullman and Judge Reinhold?  Answer »
  • Name the movie. Bette Midler and Danny DeVito as Sam and Barbara Stone.  Answer »
  • Who was Danny Devito's wife in the movie Ruthless People?  Answer »

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