Os Safados

This film is so smart, so imaginative and so artfully played that it flew over the radar of the average movie-goer when it first came out. Michael Caine is at his brilliant best as the suave Laurence Jamison and Steve Martin's 'Ruprecht' is a comic masterpiece. As Freddy, he's the perfect boob -- smart enough to con women into giving him small sums of money, too stupid to realize there's a world going on around him where the stakes are much, much higher. It is also easy to underestimate the work of Glenn Headly, but once you've seen the whole movie you realize how her simple choices add up to a very complicated performance indeed. Every time I see this movie I laugh out loud.

What a film! "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" has a really clever plot, in which Lawrence, a high-class playboy (Michael Caine), and Freddy, a petty con man (Steve Martin), make their living by seducing and cheating rich ladies. However, the little French town is too small for both, so they decide to set up a bet in which the loser has to clear the area. Pretty and naive Janet (Glenn Headly) is the object of their contest, and each one of them engages in ever-more ingenious tricks to try to rip her off and win the bet, yet with unpredictable results.

The movie is hilarious, and despite its 15 years' of age, it is as fresh as it has been when it was first produced. Steve Martin of course is the funniest character of all, with his fantastic "Ruprecht" performance being unforgettable. Go ahead and enjoy this film. It is worth it! 9/10.

Remake of 1964's 'Bedtime Story' (written by comedy genius Paul Henning) moves right along with Michael Caine and Steve Martin sharing duties as professional opportunists one-upping each other in a conquest contest.

It's a sort of Martin and Lewis pairing, and, although the comedy is derivative, it's by no means boring or stale, likely due to the talent of the two marvelous leads.

Wonderful European landscapes are a bonus.

Well worth watching.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a wonderful '80s comedy, the type we don't see any longer. Today the humor, for the most part, is vulgar. For some reason, in the '80s, comedies were actually funny.

Michael Caine and Steve Martin are two con man who wind up competing on the Riviera. Caine is a classy con man, Lawrence Jamieson, targeting rich widows as he sports different accents claiming he's funding a revolution for his country, helping the poor, the hungry, etc. Martin is Freddy Benson, lower class but after the same targets.

Freddy asks Lawrence to tutor him in the art of the high-class con. Freddy doesn't want him around as he feels the Riviera isn't big enough for both of them.

Freddy, however, isn't leaving. So they agree on a bet. The first one to strip a young heiress (Glenne Headly) of $50,000 stays, and the other leaves.

What follows is hilarious. Both men are at the top of their game here. Steve Martin can make you laugh with a facial expression. The scene where he attempts to "walk" after being in a wheelchair is a riot.

Caine as Lawrence is brilliant as a suave sophisticate, and his getting the better of Freddy in several scenes is a delight. The end has a neat twist.

This film was adapted into a successful Broadway musical, and it is opening in London starring Robert Lindsay ("My Family"). It's a fun story. Wish today we had more like this.

I cannot believe that the first time I saw this - one of my favorite comedies - I was not enamored of it. Subsequent viewings have given it an honored place on my roster of great comedies. What fun Caine and Martin must have working with each other on this one; their enthusiasm certainly shows in the results. Best line: "One must know one's limitations, Freddy. You are a moron." Definitely a must-see for comedy aficionados.