Truly Dreadful Film

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Dreadfully Boring

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Excellent black comedy from the eighties with DeVito and Bete Midler as always are funny,the plot is perfect,the supporting casting is quite good in special way the stupid Bill Pullman and the hampered Judge Reinhold, therefore the main character is heart of the picture Devito as disguised and Midler angry screaming....all the situation is funny especially when the tape is sent to chief of police who is actually the guy with prostitute in the car...all kind of misunderstanding build this movie,the soundtrack fit at the eighties all them made by computer and finally Zucker brothers and Abrahams have a great job really!!

The movie is a great 80's comedy about a rich man's wife being kidnapped by people he betrayed right when he wants her to be gone and who are not very good in doing it.It doesn't even start slowly. The first scene is a dialogue of Sam (Danny DeVito) and his mistress Carol (Anita Morris) where he passionately describes how much he hates his wife and how he wants to kill her so she suffers. Danny DeVito is great in this scene, as through the whole movie. He does a great job playing the bad guy and his character seems to have so much (evil) energy and strength.Other characters are also very well selected and played. There are moments where it seems that Bette Midler is overplaying it, but considering that the movie is to some point a farce comedy it doesn't seem to be too out of line. As well it gives her character the craziness that makes her a bit scary and yet lovely. The kidnapping couple (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) are greatly created characters, they are so kind and nice that one just has to root for them and feel for them. They are so not made to be evil that their failings in it bring us a lot of amusement. To make it a bit more complicated throw in the mistress I mentioned before and her dumb lover (a great career start for Bill Pullman) who have their own shenanigans planned and the movie gets even more complicated and hilarious. One basically laughs at every scene and the 90 minutes pass by very quick.Sure, it is predictable most of the time, but it sure doesn't ruin the movie that is mainly made to make us laugh and truly accomplishes it both with plot related and the side jokes. I loved the movie when I first saw it (must have been in the 90's) and it still didn't lose it's humor for me 3 decades after it's release.It is actually funny that back in the days it was promoted as crude, adult humor and now it seems to be so innocent. Times sure have changed the average comedy.

So I revisited 1986's Ruthless People, well was it good I have to ehhh. I remember this movie being funny when I was a kid and when it was on the other day, I started watching it and just kept going until the end. This movie had two things going for it the almost always awesome Danny Devito and the very underrated Judge Reinhold (I wish his career would have lasted). It was directed by Jim Abrahams and David Zucker who gave us the comedy classic Airplane. This movie is no classic though. It has its moments but overall is forgettable, unless you want to see the cheesiest aspects of 1980's culture similar to the 1970's culture you would see in the recently reviewed "Saturday Night Fever", you can probably skip this one and download Airplane instead. if you like concise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews at http://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/

Being a fan of Danny De Vito and the ZAZ team's work (Zucker Abrahams, and Zucker) I rented this from Netflix hoping for it to be absolutely hysterical. While I felt this was a very dark film and I did not laugh very much with the exception of a few scenes I did find it to be an enjoyable crime solving type of a movie. In other words there is a ransom involved and trying to figure out whether or not Bette Midler would be rescued from kidnappers Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater(Reinhold is actually very funny here). I was expecting De Vito's performance in this film to be absolutely hysterical but he did it with such a dark tone that I thought he had more of a serious rather than comedic performance. He was enjoyable as always though. The music score including opening song by Mick Jagger I think may be the best part about the film along with the scene when the people who are angry at De Vito supposedly film De Vito and Midler having sex. That as well as Jagger's song and the main opening titles are terrific to say the least. Screenwriter Dale Launer wrote a better script with the Joe Pesci vehicle "My Cousin Vinny" six years after "Ruthless People" was made, but he is a very good writer and his characters in this film are written very well as they also were in "My Cousin Vinny". He obviously knows how to write a good movie and RP and MCV are very good examples. The ending with Midler pushing De Vito into the bay and leaving him after she finds out about the kidnapping plot I felt was far too abrupt and I wanted the movie to go on for about 10-15 more minutes. However "Rutless People" is a good movie. Just do not rent and expect anything like the Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker team's "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" series and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed by this movie at all.