Ruthless People is on Sundance right now

"I've been kidnapped by K-Mart!"

Fun movie and such a great 80s capsule. Would those hideous dresses Helen Slater's character designed have been considered fashionable even in the 80s?

I love this movie! And I wish it was shown more often on TV.

Bette Midler's best and funniest performance. It was the one time she stopped trying to be appealing, and let her raging inner bitch fly. It was fabulous!

Nowadays Danny DeVito's mistress would have been cast with somebody much younger

I loved the decor at the mansion. I'm sick of midcentury modern and hope this replaces it.

CALL 911! CALL 911!

Wrong movie, r6

They don't make comedies this well-scripted anymore. It's also a major studio movie full of "real looking" people. Double rare.

"I gotta get out of here...I gotta get out of here!!"

"My wife...she's...late for work."

That sight gag of Bette's character illustrating how she'd cut her husband's balls off and throw them away made my mum cry from laughter.

I remember really enjoying it. I saw Anita Morris in 9 and she was delightful. Did this sinuous dance wearing a form-fitting leotard kiind of outfit. She was married to Grover Dale, who had a long affair with Tony Perkins.

My favorite part is the end when she's beating the shit out of DeVito as the cops walk away talking about how in love they must be.

You know, the ending wouldn't work anymore with all the CSI investigations where the cops find out almost the exact time someone died and where he died originally (when the body was moved).

Love this movie but I love Outrageous Fortune more.

I rewound the scene with richard dreyfus fucking many times as a teen. He’s gross now

It's one of my favorite comedies. I love the scene where Judge Reinhold tells Bette Midler that Danny DeVito refused to pay the ransom, so they reduced it to a smaller amount. Bette in utter sadness says, "I've been marked down?".

Bill Pullman was total hotness in this movie playing the dumb conspirator. He was so stupidly loveable, bad dye job not included.

I liked the part when she hurled the broom at him and her food tray fell down.

Hilarious movie.

I love Barbara's furniture.

And people wonder why we love the 80s.

[quote]Bill Pullman was total hotness in this movie playing the dumb conspirator. He was so stupidly loveable,

"And then, we're going to Haiti."

Ta-hi-ti.

I thought the funniest part was when Judge Reinhold nearly chloroformed himself while kidnapping Bette.

Bette Midler cruelly describing to Helen Skater how people are executed iun prison for kidnapping stilkl is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

"And sometimes... ya just kinda hang on..."

[quote]I rewound the scene with richard dreyfus fucking many times as a teen.

How odd, given he's not in this movie at all.

You should write children's books

I loved Bette's Touchstone movies.

I wish they would release this and Outrageous Fortune on Blu-ray.

Call me crazy, but I think Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune, and Big Business make a great Bette Midler comedy movie marathon.

I was just gonna mention that, R24.

[italic]“Maybe it’s...the chair!”

(Bette mimics being electrocuted)

“Or the gas’s chamber...”

(Bette hisses and then gasps uncontrollably)

“Sometimes...it’s the firing squad...”

(Bette hurls herself against the wall and slides down it slowly)

“Bang! And you don’t die right away! You kinda just....hang on...bleeding...bleeding...BLEEDING...endlessly!”[/italic]

And what she says to Judge is equally hilarious.

[italic]“Cute little butt like that and you’ll be the belle of the ball. Your dance card’ll be filled every day. In the men’s club. The San Quentin country club. You’ll make lots of new, interesting friends. Big, ugly, hairy friends. Only you won’t know what they look like because you’ll be facing...THE OTHER WAY...”[/italic]

Love the hamburger scene...

That type of slapstick comedy style should make a comeback.

❤️ the theme song by Luther Vandross

Isn't there a part where Pullman crashes the ransom drop and gets all confused when the police are shouting through the megaphones? God I love that movie, I need to get a copy.

^Yep.

Apparently both Midler and Devito were distraught after actually seeing the movie. They thought it would end their careers. I don't care how hammy it is, it works so incredibly well. There were a number of very weird, over-the-top movies in the '80s that shouldn't have worked, but did. I wish the movie industry would take those kinds of chances again.

R15

Are you thinking of Down and Out in Beverly Hills?

"That sight gag of Bette's character illustrating how she'd cut her husband's balls off and throw them away made my mum cry from laughter."

Did it cause your dad to sleep with one eye open?

That's my husband!

Anita Morris was incredible looking.

I had forgotten about that scene R30. It made laugh again. TY.

Danny Devito was also laugh-out-loud funny. Such a complete asshole!

"I had to live with that squealing corpulent toad all these years. God I hate that woman! I hate the way she licks stamps."

Just watched this again. Utter fun! When the Bedroom Killer tells Bette she looks like his mother I'm surprised she wasn't angry

I had completely forgotten that Helen Slater is in this. They should have gone with Penelope Ann Miller.

r32...the "theme" was by Mick Jagger and was called...wait for it...Ruthless People.

^Forgotten? Nigga, please. PAM couldn’t shine 80s HS’s shoes.

I prefer Luther’s song from the soundtrack

They need to release this on Blu-ray.

Hi-def hilarity!

Anita

How bad must Barbara have smelled, working out all that time and losing 20lbs in that one black outfit?

Anita Morris sang Charmin's Lament in the Magic Show ("It's a Nightmare/being a dream come true"). It contains one of my favourite rhymes ("I've been shocked/and unfrocked/at a Walpurgisnacht"), but they seem to have written the song out in the filmed version, which is all that's on YouTube, and replaced it with this.

At least you can see what she looked like, though this is nearly 10 years after she originated the role.

Another vote for Ruthless People.

I watched this again tonight.

Thirty-five years later, it still holds up, still as funny as ever. It's perfectly-plotted, moves at a brisk speed, and the cast is terrific. It's easy to see why Bette's Touchstone period was so popular. Those films hold up and she is great in them.

When i saw this movie as a kid in the 80's, i always thought Bette's outfit she was wearing, the vest looked like garden hoses. I've always loved this movie

This is more than a fun movie. RUTHLESS PEOPLE is one of the greatest comedies ever made. The last movie from the team that did AIRPLANE. A script from the guy who wrote MY COUSIN VINNY. And Danny DeVito and Bette Midler doing what they do best and an amazing supporting cast. Even the cinematographer is a legend. He went on to film Basic Instinct and directed Speed.

I haven't seen this in years, but my favorite moment was when Judge Reinhold, who works in a department store electronics department, works hard to sell a very expensive sound system to a young guy then takes it back when his young wife comes in and is pregnant, making Judge realize that they must be financially struggling. It was funny then sweet, because as much as he needed the commission, couldn't do that to this couple.

You scumbag! You lowlife mother fucker!

Why is Sundance showing major studio releases?

After barely making it through Supergirl, I couldn’t help but wonder: who the fuck thought Helen Slater could act?!?! Were the Jews of Hollywood just excited that she looked waspy?

[quote] After barely making it through Supergirl, I couldn’t help but wonder: who the fuck thought Helen Slater could act?!?! Were the Jews of Hollywood just excited that she looked waspy?

Were those the same "Jews" of Hollywood who gave an Oscar to Vanessa Redgrave for [italic]Julia[/italic] while blaming Helen Reddy for the middling box-office revenues of [italic]Pete's Dragon[/italic]?

Were those the same "Jews" who gave Helen Hunt an Oscar and an Emmy while sexually objectifying Brendan Fraser?

I adore this movie, and wish it would get a good Blu-ray transfer. Bette Midler in peak cunt form, outcunting DeVito (hard to do), and the divine Anita Morris, purring and fluttering. It was such a well-executed comedy.

Bette should have won a Golden Globe for this

I thought Bette was embarrassing in this movie

Different strokes

I kind of like Helen Slater. She was different in every 80s role.

I loved that little making a drink mime she did to Foxy Lady, when trying on Helen's awful outfits.

I never thought Helen Slater was a great actress, but she is perfect in this.

So many great lines/scenes.

Judge stomping on the spider.

Helen freaking out over the cops.

Anita thinking Danny wants her to fuck a dog,

Danny responding "It's for me."

Bette responding to the killer/intruder: first friendly, then puzzled then genuinely terrified (it helps that the killer is played serious).

The bizarre but oddly chic Memphis-styled mansion.

The great Mick Jagger opening song with animation by Sally Cruikshank (whose work also inspired the mansion).

I agree the whole thing falls apart in realistic terms, unless Bette and crew are dashing for the border with what's left of her loot before the police check the corpse.

"Let's be assholes and get rich!" *puts spider outside, goes inside *comes back outside and stomps on spider

[quote]Isn't there a part where Pullman crashes the ransom drop and gets all confused when the police are shouting through the megaphones? God I love that movie, I need to get a copy.

"This may be the stupidest man on the face of the earth. Perhaps we should shoot him."

"Yes, Sam. You've told me many, many, many, many..."

Funniest intro to an info-dump ever.

"I love wrong numbers."

"Muffy, meet Adolph. Adolph, EAT MUFFY!"

"I hate the way she licks stamps!"

I loved when Blossom played Bette in the flashback scene.

R71 are you talking about Beaches?

I'm impressed that the movie got away with not one, not two, but three exposition dumps: Sam explaining his plan to Carol, Ken reminding Sandy of their plan and Carol reminding Earl of their plan. The best part is, they all work well enough in character. Sam would be the type to crow about how brilliant his plan is, Sandy would need the extra motivation and Earl would need to constantly have things explained to him. Once a plan in introduced, the rest of the movie becomes "and then, this changes! ... and then, this changes!"

Excellent point, R73.

There were rumors that Madonna was supposed to play Barbara, but I think it was actually Helen Slater's role. That role was apparently bigger in the original script, but they scaled it back for what ever reason. I notice in interviews, Helen Slater doesn't seem overly enthusiastic when she talks about Ruthless People. Maybe she had a bad experience? Maybe she's bitter that they watered down the role? Maybe they tried to replace her with Madonna and she's still pissed?

Ruthless People is a hilarious movie because everybody in it is such a rotten, selfish asshole.

"If you shot at me, where's your gun?"

"Well you're too smart for me. You got me figured out. I don't have one."

Great delivery of that line.