Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Movie Review
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a 1988 comedy film directed by Frank Oz and starring and starring Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenne Headly. It’s a slight and predictable, but fun flick.
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“Fellas, last year I made 3 million dollars,
but your 50 thousand was the most fun“
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Two con men realize that it is impossible for both of them to operate in the same town. They decide on a bet involving swindling a heiress and the loser of the bet has to leave the town forever. This is one of those Steve Martin movies where he was the comic relief and not the straight man. He is at his goofiest, campiest here, which did make for a fun watch, but also for a frustratingly dated one. While he was admittedly very funny at times, I also found his over-the-top energy insufferable at certain moments.
As for Michael Caine, he is obviously the straight man here, but I did find him to be amusing in his own right. His suave, gentlemanly aura was quite appealing and it deftly contrasted Martin’s manic energy. The two shared a surprisingly strong chemistry together and their rivalry produced numerous amusing results. The funniest sequence was easily the one with the leg punching. That was the only truly hilarious scene in the movie to me personally.
But I also really liked that twist ending. That twist was obvious from the get-go, but it still worked as the story would otherwise have been much less believable without it. It also worked well due to the unexpectedly strong presence of Glenne Headly, a lesser-known actress who stole the show from these two veterans in that last amusing sequence.
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is obviously very well performed and it was solidly directed by Frank Oz, who was an odd fit for this material, but it all worked out in the end nonetheless. What I did not find to be pleasant was that problematic pace as the second act felt drawn out. The movie should have been shorter and brisker. The overall story is too slight and standard to support such a lengthy treatment. It’s an uneven comedy, but one that was undeniably charming.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels benefits strongly from an outstanding interplay between Steve Martin and Michael Caine. The two are so well contrasted with their differing personalities. There is also a great turn from Glenne Headly – she was so much fun in that amusing last scene. This is a very drawn out, predictable and uneven movie that was often too over-the-top for its own sake, but when it worked, it was a whole lot of fun.
My Rating – 3.5
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