Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
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Two rival con men compete to swindle a wealthy tourist out of a large sum of money on the French Riviera.
The story
Set on the French Riviera, the film follows Lawrence Jamieson, a sophisticated British con artist, and Freddy Benson, an unsophisticated American hustler. After Freddy inadvertently interferes with one of Lawrence's schemes, the two are forced into a rivalry. They agree to a bet: the first to con $50,000 from a newly arrived tourist, the naive 'United States Soap Queen' Janet Colgate, wins the pot and the other must leave town. The two men employ various elaborate deceptions and personas to win over the wealthy woman, leading to a high-stakes competition of wits and manipulation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lawrence Jamieson, a sophisticated British con artist, and Freddy Benson, an unsophisticated American hustler, enter a competition to swindle a wealthy tourist, Janet Colgate, out of $50,000. Lawrence poses as a doctor while Freddy pretends to be a paraplegic veteran. During the competition, Lawrence discovers Janet is not wealthy but has liquidated her assets to help Freddy. Touched by her kindness, Lawrence calls off the bet, but Freddy proposes a new one: the first to seduce her wins. After Lawrence is abducted by sailors, Freddy returns to Janet's room. Lawrence eventually reveals his status as a Royal Naval Reserve officer to the sailors and puts Janet on a plane. However, Janet returns to find Freddy and declares her love for him. Lawrence prepares to accept defeat until Janet reveals Freddy stole the $50,000 she collected. Lawrence gifts her $50,000 of his own money, but Janet returns it. Finally, it is revealed that Janet is actually 'the Jackal,' a prominent American con artist who has been deceiving both men. The film ends with the trio preparing to scam a new group of wealthy tourists.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Oz
- Writers
- Dale Launer · writer; Stanley Shapiro · writer; Paul Henning · writer
- Cast and characters
- Steve Martin · Freddy Benson; Michael Caine · Lawrence Jamieson; Glenne Headly · Janet Colgate; Anton Rodgers · Andre; Barbara Harris · Arthur
- Genres
- comedy; crime
- Themes
- Deception; Greed; Kindness
- Tone and mood
- Buoyant; Clever; Charming
- Premise and plot tags
- Buddy Comedy; Crime Comedy; Con Artists
- Source material / true-story basis
- Bedtime Story (1964)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the chemistry between Steve Martin and Michael Caine. It was a commercial success, grossing $42 million at the U.S. box office.
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to star Mick Jagger and David Bowie.; Eddie Murphy was considered for the role of Freddy Benson.; John Cleese was approached for the role of Jamieson but declined.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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