Y a-t-il quelqu'un pour tuer ma femme ?

I saw this film in the theatre when it was released in 1986. I have been to a lot of movies, and this is the only one that I HAD to see again--just to hear the lines that had been drowned out by the audience's laughter!

Often a movie's previews will give away all the funny lines of a movie, and I remember that the previews for "Ruthless People" gave away the classic "I've been kidnapped by KMart" line. But for once, there were so many hysterically funny moments in this movie that it didn't matter. It's just that funny.

So if you haven't seen it, you really are missing something. Rent it and be prepared to hurt your sides laughing.

This is one of my favorite movies. I laughed hysterically at every joke, every joke hit its target. But that's not what's so great about this movie. This movie has an all-star cast (Devito, Midler, Reinhold, Pullman) and they do a great job with the script. But that's not what's so great about this movie. The best thing about this movie is the intricately woven plot, which keeps your attention and comes to a hilarious finale. This is one of the funniest movies ever. See this and you won't regret it.

I thought this movie was hilarious. Almost everything anyone says has a double meaning. (The police chief and the hooker, the big dog, etc) This movie will keep you laughing from beginning to end. Bette Midler is terrific as the kidnapped rich man's wife, and Danny DeVito is also fabulous as the scheming rich man himself. There are thousands of great one-liners that you will keep quoting for years after you see this movie (I know I have) like the unforgettable "I've been kidnapped by K-Mart!" and "You lying @#$*%^!!! Oh, honey, they made me say that!" This is a must see! So go see it! Now! What are you still reading this for, you should be out renting the movie!!

Brought by the makers of AIRPLANE, RUTHLESS PEOPLE is a laugh riot of a movie. Danny DeVito leads the pack as a greedy millionaire who plans to murder his wife for her money, but becomes rapturous when she is kidnapped. DeVito is hilarious in the lead role. Judge Reinhold delivers a wacky performance as the kidnapper. Helen Slater does a great job – and she's also beautiful – as the kidnapper's fashion designer wife, but the real star of the movie is Bette Midler, as DeVito's kidnapped wife. Though this movie lacks a little bit of the quality that AIRPLANE had, it still has its share of really good performances and hilarious one-liners. Great entertainment!

4 out of 5

...they made movies with comic premises, story structure, and denoument. This movie has them all, and most comedies by comparison are puffed-up TV fare.

The tone is almost European: There are no good guys, and the protagonist is willing, even eager, for his wife to be killed by her kidnappers.

Forget nudity or explicit violence. You know you're watching a film for grown-ups when it's willing to plumb the depths of this situation for the comic gold within, not just string a few gags on it.

Highest accolades all around.