Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Reference View | Change View
- PG
- 1h 50min
- Comedy, Crime
- 14 Dec 1988 (USA)
- Movie
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:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- 1 win & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| 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)
|
|
|
|
Hepburn Graham | ... |
English Sailor #2
|
| Xavier Maly | ... |
Hotel Bellboy
|
|
|
|
André Penvern | ... |
Waiter on the Train
(as Andre Penvern)
|
| Louis Zorich | ... |
Greek Millionaire
|
|
|
|
Georges Gerrard Baffos | ... |
Assistant Hotel Manager
|
|
|
Valerie Beaufils | ... |
Pretty Beach Girl
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Patricia Davidson | ... |
Woman with dogs (uncredited)
|
| Brad Jacobowitz | ... |
Pedestrian (uncredited)
|
|
| Patrice Martinez | ... |
Girl in Train (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Bernard Williams | ... |
Photographer on beach (uncredited)
|
Directed by
| Frank Oz | ||
Written by
| Dale Launer | ... | (written by) and |
| Stanley Shapiro | ... | (written by) & |
| Paul Henning | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Charles Hirschhorn | ... | executive producer |
| Dale Launer | ... | executive producer |
| Bernard Williams | ... | producer |
Music by
| Miles Goodman | ||
Cinematography by
| Michael Ballhaus | ... | director of photography |
Film Editing by
| Stephen A. Rotter | ||
| William S. Scharf | ... | (as William Scharf) |
Editorial Department
| Berj Amir | ... | apprentice film editor |
| Reid Burns | ... | color timer |
| Elisa Cohen | ... | apprentice film editor |
| Denis Coq | ... | assistant film editor |
| Richard Friedlander | ... | first assistant film editor |
| Robert Grahamjones | ... | assistant film editor |
| Jenny Oznowicz | ... | apprentice film editor |
| Bob Sarles | ... | assistant film editor |
Casting By
| Donna Isaacson | ||
| John S. Lyons | ... | (as John Lyons) |
Production Design by
| Roy Walker | ||
Art Direction by
| Damien Lanfranchi | ||
| Steve Spence | ||
Set Decoration by
| Rosalind Shingleton | ||
Costume Design by
| Marit Allen | ||
Makeup Department
| Lois Burwell | ... | makeup artist: Mr. Caine |
| Pascal Charbonnier | ... | makeup artist |
| Janet Flora | ... | makeup artist |
| Geraldine Jones | ... | hair stylist (as Gerry Jones) |
| Matthew W. Mungle | ... | prosthetic makeup artist (as Matthew Mungle) |
| Dorothy J. Pearl | ... | makeup artist: Mr. Martin (as Dorothy Pearl) |
| Toni-Ann Walker | ... | hair stylist: Mr. Martin |
| Thierry Zemmour | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
| Bernard Mazauric | ... | unit production manager |
| Ron Lynch | ... | executive in charge of production (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Antoine Sabarros | ... | second second assistant director |
| Gerry Toomey | ... | second assistant director |
| David Tringham | ... | first assistant director |
| Bernard Williams | ... | first assistant director |
Art Department
| Jean-Paul Bernardi | ... | dressing props |
| Maurice Borghese | ... | head draper (as Maurice Borghesi) |
| Noelle Fortuna | ... | assistant draper |
| Derek Knowler | ... | property storeman |
| Bernard Harvey Langton | ... | assistant property master (as Bernard Harvey-Langton) |
| Louis Lenoir | ... | head painter |
| Phillipe Mazauric | ... | property buyer |
| Jean Menna | ... | head carpenter |
| Tony Rimmington | ... | assistant art director |
| Terry Wells | ... | property master |
| Hervé Schrub | ... | greenman (uncredited) / set dresser (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| C.J. Appel | ... | adr editor |
| Don Banks | ... | boom operator |
| Chris Beaver | ... | assistant adr editor |
| Richard Beggs | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Mark Berger | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Karen Brocco | ... | assistant foley editor |
| Luis Colina | ... | foley editor |
| Ron Davies | ... | adr editor |
| Frank E. Eulner | ... | assistant sound effects editor (as Frank Eulner) |
| Tina Fallani | ... | apprentice dialogue editor |
| Rob Fruchtman | ... | foley editor |
| Marjorie L. Hagar | ... | apprentice sound effects/foley (as Marjorie Hagar) |
| Pat Jackson | ... | sound effects editor |
| Tom Johnson | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Ann Kroeber | ... | sound effects editor |
| John Nutt | ... | dialogue editor |
| Bob Robinson | ... | assistant adr editor |
| Ivan Sharrock | ... | production sound mixer |
| Michael Silvers | ... | dialogue editor |
| Alan Splet | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Jean-Pierre Steen | ... | sound assistant |
| Lionel Strutt | ... | adr recordist: Mayflower Film Recording Ltd. London |
| John Verbeck | ... | assistant sound effects editor |
| Gwendolyn Yates Whittle | ... | assistant dialogue editor (as Gwendolyn Yates) |
| Vanessa Theme Ament | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
| Philip Rogers | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Richard Miranda | ... | special effects makeup (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Terry Walsh | ... | stunt double: Mr. Caine |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Florian Ballhaus | ... | first assistant camera |
| Jan Sebastian Ballhaus | ... | video playback operator (as Sebastian Ballhaus) |
| Rene Basso | ... | grip |
| Arthur Blum | ... | dolly grip |
| Tony Bratulic | ... | grip (as Antoine Bratulic) |
| Bruce Byall | ... | best boy grip |
| Ernest Cabezas | ... | generator operator |
| Jean-Marie Lopez | ... | electrician |
| Bobby Mancuso | ... | second assistant camera (as Robert Mancuso) |
| Stéphane Nègre | ... | electrician |
| Bob Penn | ... | still photographer (as Robert Penn) |
| John 'Fest' Sandau | ... | best boy electric (as John Sandau) |
| Steve Smith | ... | key grip |
| James R. Tynes | ... | gaffer (as Jim Tynes) |
| Jean-Marc Bringuier | ... | steadicam operator (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Françoise Combadière | ... | casting: Paris (as Francoise Combadiere) |
| Caroline Mazauric | ... | casting: Nice |
| Debbie McWilliams | ... | casting: London |
| Roberto Robin | ... | assistant casting: Nice |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Claudia Fellous | ... | wardrobe assistant (as Claudy Fellous-Marliere) |
| Sue Gandy | ... | assistant costume designer |
| Suzy Sand | ... | wardrobe assistant |
| Dennis Schoonderwoerd | ... | costumer: Mr. Steve Martin |
| James Smith | ... | costumer: Mr. Michael Caine (as James A. Smith) |
Location Management
| René Brun | ... | location manager (as Rene Brun) |
| Régis Brun | ... | assistant location manager (as Regis Brun) |
Music Department
| Ethan Chase | ... | scoring assistant |
| Nancy Fogarty | ... | music editor |
| Devon Miller | ... | assistant music editor |
| Jim Mitchell | ... | scoring assistant |
| Joel Moss | ... | music recordist |
| Thomas Pasatieri | ... | orchestrator |
| Michael Boddicker | ... | musician: synthesizer (uncredited) |
| Tom Boyd | ... | oboe soloist (uncredited) |
| Jerry Goodman | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Malcolm McNab | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Tim Morrison | ... | musician: trumpet soloist (uncredited) |
| James Thatcher | ... | musician: French horn (uncredited) |
| Louise Di Tullio | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Valerie E. Norman | ... | script supervisor (as Valerie Norman-Williams) |
Transportation Department
| Gaston Veilleux | ... | transportation coordinator |
Additional Crew
| Laurence Coutaud-Garnier | ... | production secretary (as Laurence Coutaud) |
| Isabelle de Geofroy | ... | assistant auditor |
| Inger Eisenhour | ... | assistant: Mr. Oz and Mr. Williams |
| Bran Ferren | ... | title designer |
| Tom Gray | ... | publicist |
| Ruth Hasty | ... | assistant: Mr. Oz and Mr. Williams |
| Joseph Brad Kluge | ... | production assistant (as Joseph Kluge) |
| Barbara Lucey | ... | financial representative |
| Dianne Mapp-Cheek | ... | production controller (as Dianne Lisa Cheek) |
| Nelly Niay | ... | auditor: France |
| Andrea Tringham | ... | production assistant |
| Thomas V Walker | ... | production assistant |
| Michelle Wright | ... | production coordinator (as Michelle Wright-Warnick) |
| Ronald C. Briggs Jr. | ... | dailies coordinator (uncredited) |
| Caroline Ruelle | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
| Jonathan Sheinberg | ... | Head of Production Orion Pictures (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Compagnia Distribuzione Internazionale (CDI) (1989) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Constantin-Film (1989) (Austria) (theatrical)
- Orion Pictures (1988) (United States) (theatrical)
- Rank Film Distributors (1989) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Roadshow Films (1988) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Spentzos Films (1988) (Greece) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1989) (France) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1989) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1989) (Japan) (theatrical)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2011) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2013) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1992) (United States) (tv)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1991) (Germany) (VHS)
- Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
- Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
- Image Entertainment (1998) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- Koch Media (2020) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Lifetime (1995) (United States) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- McDonald's (1992) (United States) (VHS) (through Orion Home Video)
- Orion Home Video (1989) (United States) (VHS)
- Orion Home Video (1995) (United States) (video) (Video CD)
- Roadshow Home Video (1989) (Australia) (VHS)
- Shout! Factory (2019) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (collector's edition)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (United States) (DVD)
- UT-1 (1993) (Ukraine) (tv)
- Viaplay (2022) (Netherlands) (video) (vod)
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2020) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (reprint for MGM)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- ARRI Munich (cameras by)
- Cinema Research (opticals)
- Deluxe Entertainment Services (color by)
- Dolby Stereo (in selected theatres)
- Donah Bassett and Associates (negative cutter)
- Judy Garland & Associates (travel arrangements by)
- Laboratoires Éclair (processing lab)
- Mayflower Recording (A.D.R. recording)
- Motion Picture Association (MPA) (# 29476)
- Record Plant Scoring (music recorded at)
- S.N.C.F. (special thanks)
- Saul Zaentz Film Center (Post Production Services Provided By)
- Skywalker Sound (Re-recording Services Provided By)
- Societe Marseillaise de Credit (special thanks)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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 under him to learn the art of the sophisticated and thus earn more lucrative con. Eventually, Lawrence and Freddy have a difference in how to operate their joint cons, so they issue each other an ultimatum: the person who is able to con a mark out of fifty thousand dollars first will get the French Riviera as their territory, with the other having to leave forever. Who they choose is naive and slightly bumbling American "soap Queen" Janet Colgate, who has just arrived in the area. The nature of how each tries to get the fifty thousand dollars from Janet changes over time, each needing to play off the other's con. But their focus may change with more information learned about the situation, as well as some external factors they did not anticipate. Written by Huggo |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Box Office
| Opening Weekend United States | $3,840,498, 16 Dec 1988 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The teaser trailer features a sequence which does not appear in the final movie. Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jamieson walk along a boardwalk, politely moving out of the way of other people, et cetera, with a voice saying something like "There are numerous distinguished gentlemen in the world... refined, cultured gentlemen... nice men... but nice men finish last". As the last few lines are spoken, Freddy pushes an old lady into the water, and Lawrence shoves a kid's face into his cotton candy. Director Frank Oz has said that audiences were very surprised to learn that the scene was not part of the finished movie See more » |
| Goofs | Freddy passes himself off as a paralyzed naval officer but is wearing the blue dress uniform of a US Army enlisted man with the rank of corporal. The sailors that help Freddy would have picked up on that. However, the two sailors are not American, so it is possible that they are not familiar with the uniforms of foreign services. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels/Tequila Sunrise/Twins/My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Puttin' On the Ritz See more » |
| 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. See more » |
| Quotes |
[Sitting at the dinner table]
Freddy Benson: Excuse me. May I go to the bathroom first? Lawrence Jamieson: Of course you may. Freddy Benson: [after a pause, and with relief] Thank you. See more » |