Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers:

Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro

Stars:

Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Martin	...	Freddy Benson
Michael Caine	...	Lawrence Jamieson
Glenne Headly	...	Janet Colgate
Anton Rodgers	...	Inspector Andre
Barbara Harris	...	Fanny Eubanks
Ian McDiarmid	...	Arthur
Dana Ivey	...	Mrs. Reed
Meagen Fay	...	Lady from Oklahoma
Frances Conroy	...	Lady from Palm Beach
Nicole Calfan	...	Lady in Dining Car
Aïna Wallé	...	Miss Krista Knudsen (as Aina Wallé)
Cheryl Pay	...	Lady with Pearls
Nathalie Auffret	...	Marion
Lolly Susi	...	Lady in Rolls Royce
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	English Sailor #1 (as Rupert Holliday Evans)

Storyline

Wealthy native Brit Lawrence Jamieson, living in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, earns most of his money through big cons on wealthy unsuspecting women. With the help of his associates, corrupt Police Inspector Andre, who provides him most of his intel, and his butler Arthur, he pulls scams such as pretending to be a foreign deposed Prince who needs money to finance a secret war to liberate his people. Beaumont-sur-Mer, and thus his world, is invaded by brash American Freddy Benson, another con man whose targets are also wealthy unsuspecting women. Lawrence believes Freddy is the Jackal, a con man whose true identity is unknown, but who is known to be working his way through Europe. While Lawrence works on thousands of dollars per scam, Freddy works only on tens or if he is lucky hundreds of dollars. Lawrence's efforts to get Freddy out of his territory are unsuccessful, so when Freddy figures out that Lawrence is a con man like he is, he decides to blackmail Lawrence to work ...

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Plot Keywords:

bet | french riviera | rivalry | gigolo | pretending to be mentally challenged | 

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Taglines:

Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The crystal stemware used in the scene, where Sir Michael Caine is teaching Steve Martin how to act debonair, is called Massena, and is made by Baccarat.

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Goofs

When Janet leaves the hotel for the villa she has no luggage. Yet the next morning at the villa she's wearing different clothes than the night before.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lady with Pearls: Your Highness, please allow me to make this little contribution.
Lawrence Jamieson: No, I cannot accept them.
Lady with Pearls: But think of what these could do for your cause.
Lawrence Jamieson: Even though I know those pearls would mean freedom for many of my people, I will not take them.
Lady with Pearls: Please. Please! These could save the lives of many men.
Lawrence Jamieson: The men of my country are proud. They would die rather than have their Prince accept charity.
Lady with Pearls: Then think of the lives of the women, the mothers.
Lawrence Jamieson: The women of my country fight alongside the men. They ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

While the names of Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning appear in the credits as two of this film's three writers, they are actually there just to credit their script for Bedtime Story (1964), of which this is a remake.

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Deception (2006)

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Soundtracks

Pick Yourself Up
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

User Reviews

Classic comedy, timeless situation, wonderful performers.

Remake of 1964's 'Bedtime Story' (written by comedy genius Paul Henning) moves right along with Michael Caine and Steve Martin sharing duties as professional opportunists one-upping each other in a conquest contest.

It's a sort of Martin and Lewis pairing, and, although the comedy is derivative, it's by no means boring or stale, likely due to the talent of the two marvelous leads.

Wonderful European landscapes are a bonus.

Well worth watching.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

16 December 1988 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Deux fils de pute

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,840,498, 18 December 1988

Gross USA:

$42,039,085

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,039,085

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 104 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1