Customer Reviews

Ruthless People

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bette Midler in yet another one of her pain-in-the-neck roles. The wife of a wealthy man (played by Danny DeVito) is kidnapped for ransome by a desperate young couple (definite novices to the kidnapping racket), only to learn that DeVito has no intention of paying up, as he had long been tired of his nagging wife. DeVito plays up the heart-broken husband to police, while Midler and her captors are devising a plan to get even with the s.o.b.

There are many hilarious scenes, and even some moving moments of emotional sweetness, but soon past the half-way mark the engines lose steam. By the time everyone reaches the finish-line, the hot-cake has definitely cooled off. Still an enjoyable piece of light-hearted comedy, slap-stick, non-sense and all.****

Extremely funny movie. Danny Devito plays the part of a husband who married his wife for her money and now wants to get rid of her (he's got a girlfriend on the side). Bette Middler plays the loud-mouth rich wife. Just when Devito decides to put his plans into action, she is kidnapped. He is thrilled and refuses to pay the ransom hoping the kidnappers will follow through on their threat to knock her off if he doesn't pay up. While he's laughing and celebrating, the police think he's mourning. The kidnappers find they've taken on more than the average kidnapped victim, especially since they are really a soft-hearted couple who felt Danny owed them for ripping off the wife's idea. Bette Midler is no tame, soft spoken woman.

The movie is one of those side-splitting comedies that is great from the start to the finish! Enjoy!

Sam Stone only married his wife, Barbara, for her money. Now he's anxious to get rid of her. Before he can do the deed, though, someone does him a huge favor by kidnapping her. What could be better? All he has to do is not pay the ransom and his problem is solved. Barbara's bungling kidnappers find themselves stuck with a worthless hostage.

RUTHLESS PEOPLE is a very funny movie. It's well plotted, well acted and keeps you laughing all the way. While not quite a classic, it was one of the top comedies of the mid-80's and resurrected Bette Midler's movie career. My only caution is that this is definitely NOT a movie for kids. Crude language is scattered throughout and there is some blatantly sexual material. While it might offend a few people, it's pretty mild by current standards. You could see almost as much in a Super Bowl halftime show.

I've liked RUTHLESS PEOPLE ever since I first saw it at the theater. It's a first-rate adult comedy. If you'd like some laughs, this is a good choice.

1986 to 1989 were big years for Bette Davis on the movie scene. In 1986 she filmed Ruthless People with Danny DeVito and the lesser known Helen Slater (Supergirl fame). Ruthless People, while a bit dated, has some hilarious moments and needs inclusion in any Midler collection.

Who could forget the kidnapped Midler lifting paint cans to keep fit and lose weight. Well, it's one way to keep yourself busy while being kidnapped.

Bette went on to star in the funny, but not as good as, "Outrageous Fortune" with Shelly Long.

DVD SUMMARY: Ruthless People is a bare-bones DVD. However, worth owning for the Bette factor alone!

"Rutheless People" is a great comedy. But unlike other comedies, this one has a creative plot that puts "serious" movies to shame.

Disgustingly-rich (and just generally disgusting) Sam Stone is plotting to kill his wife when kidnappers take her away and threaten to do the job for him! Stone thinks he can just ignore them and have the problem take care of itself, but the kidnappers won't kill Stone's wife and won't leave him alone. To make matters more complex, another set of meddlers caught on to Stone's original murder plot and are trying to blackmail him.

In addition to kidnapping and blackmail, this movie features an incredibly stupid man, a brief appearance by a psychopath, cops that don't care, cops that are stupid, cops that are smart, and twisted plots by all parties involved. The movie carries a full load and there are no slow moments.

this is a great movie. u have to see this movie. even though the movie is rockin' the dvd [is bad]. .... the dvd quality is sooooooooo [bad]! when u are watching it, the movie skips and shakes around like a vhs tape! its awful.. this movie is a must see though.. but u might as well buy the tape and save a few $$$$!

Right from the start, Ruthless People has several things going for it. First of all, the plot is ridiculously hilarious.
Sam Stone (Danny De Vito) is the disgruntled husband (De Vito is probably webster's example of a disgruntled person) of heiress Bette Midler. Sam has a nice stack of cash of his own, yet, like the greedy man he is, he wants more. And there is only one way to get it. Kill off his rich wife. He has it all planned out. Yet little does he know that someone out there will inadvertently do him a favor by kidnapping his wife and, if he won't pay off the ransom, they'll kill her for him. So all Sam has to do now is sit back and wait. There is only one problem. These kidnappers, while they claim to be "ruthless people", are really a couple of softies who, when they see a bug in their house, will scoop it up and place it gently outside the door. When they threaten to kill Mrs. Stone, they hardly mean what they say. Half the fun of watching this movie is seeing the scenes where Sam is on the phone with the kidnappers, seething because they are willing to give him chance after chance to get them the money, even after several stubborn refusals. This is the basic plot, with a bunch of twists added in to make it even more exciting. One particularly twisted subplot is the tension between Sam and his wife's dog (his step-dog?). He views the dog in the exact same way he views his wife; he wants it dead. He finally comes up with the perfect solution to the dog problem; he gets a bigger dog to come along and eat him (shows Stone's psychological state). A great line is where he is introducing the two canines. I think his wife's dog was named Muffy. "Muffy meet Adolph. Adolph, eat Muffy." Watch this movie to see if his plan works.
Bette Midler, Sam Stone's wife, is very funny in her role as hostage, and Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater are terrific as her captors. I think Bill Pullman is also in this movie. He is the husband, or lover, of Sam Stone's lover. It gets confusing.
The performances are the second thing this movie has going for it. But it is really Danny De Vito who ultimately makes this movie all it is.
I bought Ruthless People on VHS, however, I would suggest renting it first, of course. The only time I'll buy a movie without having seen it is if I like a particular actor in it or if it is really cheap. But it is a pretty safe bet that many of you out there will find this movie worth the time it takes to watch it, and definitely worth renting.

Una comedia exitante en donde al secuestrarle a la esposa, realmente le hicieron un favor.
Muchos de ustedes estarán pensando ¡Por favor secuestren a mi esposo!.

It's about time that "Ruthless People" is finally out to own on DVD. I remember seeing this movie when I was really little, and I loved every minute. Now, almost 21 years old, I was able to get all of the little jokes that I didn't get when I was little. This is still a favorite, doesn't matter how old the movie is. "Ruthless People" is a laugh-riot that will leave you begging for more!

Millionaire Sam Stone hates his wife. How much? Enough that he is prepared to kill her. But when he gets home and is ready to do the deed, his wife, Barbara, is nowhere to be found. Instead, he gets a phone call from kidnappers who threaten to kill her if he does not pay the ransom. So what does Sam do? He celebrates!!! The movie and plot gets twisted and funnier as the minutes roll by.

The cast is terrific; including Danny DeVito, Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater, and Bette Midler. They are hillarious in this evil and twisting comedy. DeVito really steals the show and is absolutley hillarious.

The DVD, I admit, is quite poor. There is litterally no special features at all. Picture is good, not great. But keep in mind, that this is an old movie. For it being such an old movie, the picture looks pretty good. Even though the DVD isn't the best, I don't care. I just wanted the movie, that's all. And that's what I got. Doesn't matter to me if there are special features or not on this one.

"Ruthless People" is a cult classic and a terrific comedy that abandons the routine boring formula. It takes risks, it's well-written, and it is still one of the funniest movies out on the market today. Check this one out when you can.

Sure, it's hyperbole. But I love this movie. It cheers me up when I am depressed. I think it's funny even though I have watched it so many times I know the jokes by heart.

The acting is great, the plotting excellent, the pacing unbeatable, and the jokes are very funny. What more can you want? I hope DVDs don't wear out!