RUTHLESS PEOPLE
US, 1986, Colour, 93 minutes, Colour.
Bette Midler, Danny de Vito, Helen Slater, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, Bill Pullman.
Directed by Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker.
Ruthless People is an amusing, if sometimes raucous comedy. It was written by Dale Launer, writer of such comedies as Outrageous Fortune, and was directed by the team which made Flying High and Top Secret, Jim Abraham and David and Jerry Zucker. (Abraham was to go on to make Big Business with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, Zucker was to go on to make Ghost.)
The film has an excellent cast led by Danny de Vito as a selfish husband wanting to kill his wife, played by a raucous Bette Midler. She is kidnapped, most ineffectually, by less than ruthless Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater. In the background is de Vito's mistress, played by Anita Morris, and her dumb boyfriend played by Bill Pullman.
There are all kinds of complications and misunderstandings - with a neat comeuppance ending.
This was near the beginning of Bette Midler's comeback in the 1980s where she made a successful group of films for Touchstone including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, Big Business, Beaches.
1. Entertaining comedy? Characters and caricatures? Conventional situations being spoofed? Happy misunderstandings and coincidences?
2. Californian settings, affluence, shops, suburbia, the streets? The jaunty musical score and theme song?
3. The title, each of the characters fitting this title - with varying degrees of ruthlessness or lack thereof?
4. The portrait of Sam Stone: small, Danny de Vito's presence and style? Explaining his marriage and money situation, his relationship with Carol and its sexiness, not knowing that she was planning to blackmail him? His antagonism towards his wife and plan to murder her? His reaction about the kidnapping? Calling the police and media? His reactions to Kenny and the deals? Carol's misunderstandings? His being arrested? In prison, bail? The evidence against him? His wanting to have his wife alive after all the bargaining to get her dead? Collaboration with the police? His stakeout, answering the phone, the confrontation with Kenny, wanting the money? His going to the pier? His final grief (contrasting with his continued laughter and champagne-drinking)? (His antagonism towards Barbara's dog?) The finale and his being kicked into the water? Clever caricature?
5. The contrast with Barbara and her gaudy hairdo, weight and style? Screeching? Kicking at Kenny and Sandy, not eating her meals, reading the magazines, watching television, the temptation to do exercise, her fitness and calling the TV compere a wimp? The effect on her personality? Friendly towards Kenny and Sandy, the dresses, the truth about the kidnapping, the K-mart kidnapping, being marked down? Arranging the plot? Phoning Sam and insulting him? The finale - with the incident and the bedroom killer, identifying the killer as the kidnapper? Kicking Sam into the water, joining Sandy and Kenny?
6. Kenny and Sandy, the background of their poverty, the planned occult compensation in kidnapping Barbara, the masks, not being well prepared, niceness - Kenny with the daddy-longlegs, saving it and then stamping on it? Their treatment of Barbara and her reaction against them? Kenny in the shop, trying to sell goods, selling the loudest amplifiers - but sympathetic to the pregnant wife? The police interrogation and his trying to escape? His fears, the police, the confrontation with the bedroom killer? Sandy, pleasant style, delighted with Barbara's liking the clothes? The final plan, Kenny and the hold-up, being robbed by Earl and the police saving him? Driving into the water - and emerging with the money?
7. Carol and Earl, sexy, her relationship with Sam, the plan for videoing the murder for blackmail, not being able to watch, sending it to the police chief, not understanding his hesitations, demanding Sam's arrest? The fear of Sam? The discovery of the truth? Her relationship with Earl, dumb, his reaction to filming the scene, his lack of understanding? The final hold-up and the police converging on him? Their come-uppance?
8. The police chief, taking the prostitute to the hill, the sexual encounter and its being filmed, receiving the tape in the mail, Carol's phone calls, his arresting Sam? Finally leaving town?
9. The police, their investigations, the young policeman in Sam's house, friendly, the dog? The chief and the stakeout of the meetings? The grand finale and everything in order?
10. The bedroom killer, the background, his coming into the house, Barbara reminding him of his mother, his death - and being able to be the final corpse?
11. Popular ingredients, humorously done?
