drazsika-716-814820 The reason why I'm writing this review is my surprise on how few criticized this weak, empty, stupid movie.Although I haven't watched too many lately, I love comedies. I'd watch Ferris Bueller's Day off, Wayne's world, Hot shots 1-2, Naked gun, Airplane!, other Leslie Nielsen movies, Kickass, parodies, etc. any day of the week and could even enjoy movies that are very far from perfect and miss plenty, like Bridesmaids.Having found this one on a "best of" list next to great movies and finding great actor Michael Caine there, it was more than embarrassing to watch the first half an hour attentively and fast forwarding the rest, stopping from time to time to give a chance at scenes.I laughed 4-5 times though. (Hence not 1 but 2 stars),I deleted the other movies of Steve Martin from my computer right after watching.My main reason for writing this review was to give hope to people who love comedies but totally disliked this movie.

stjohn1253 From beginning to end (appetizer to dessert) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels delivers. The opening sequence showcases Oz's comedic restraint: the charade of one of the scoundrel's compromising his principles because it benefits children forces you to smile. (Phony politicians love to say that they're doing something "for the children" when that something is purely self-serving.) Throughout the film Martin, Caine, and Headley perform flawlessly, with particularly hilarious scenes featuring Martin. The "Oh, Lady Fanny of Omaha!" ruse is priceless, as are others. Caine exhibits his superb subtly and timing. And Headley displays her acting range. The movie's "entree" satisfies to perfection.Topping things off, however, is dessert. Oz could have ended the film in the second-to-last scene and still have had a winner; however, he goes one further with the final one--and it's simply comic genius.If only more films were so complimentary of an audience's intelligence.

PetalsAndThorns One of my all-time favourite comedies. LOL's are guaranteed! Clever script, top acting (Michael Caine and Steve Martin have great chemistry, making me wish they'd made more films together), smooth editing, and cute music.A special nod for the costuming (perhaps the brainchild of director Oz): I really love the way that they juxtapose the light-and-dark costuming for Caine and Martin, particularly accentuating their opposite-ness, in a delightfully harmonious way.I've seen this film over a dozen times, and it still makes me laugh. This is late-80's silly-comedy gold!

SimonJack I can just image the fun that Michael Caine and Steve Martin had making this movie. How many scenes must they have had to shoot over because the crew and staff cracked up with laughter? This is a genuine masterpiece of comedy. Martin and Caine score a major home run with the bases loaded for this wonderful farce. The supporting cast fit the situation to a "T." This is far better than the original 1964 film that starred Marlon Brando and David Niven. The two writers of "Bedtime Story" are credited also for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning were joined by Dale Launer for this much better screenplay.A couple reviews thought Martin's character, Freddie, is dumb. Come on! He's incredibly naïve, as Caine's Lawrence Jamiesson notes early on. But, he's quick to catch on and Lawrence warns Inspector Andre (played by Anton Rodgers) that Freddie is a clever conman. Andre notes that the amateur Freddie goes after small change. But, Lawrence quips back, "You can't be too careful, Andre. After all, a poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away."Both conmen have their share of cunning – in setting up or preparing for scams. But then, as they encounter a roadblock, each just as quickly cooks up a scheme to give him the upper hand once again. These scenes are hilarious in themselves – when the camera pans on the face of the respective scoundrel and we see his expression as the scheme clicks in his mind. And then, the carrying out of the scheme brings more laughter. Freddie most often gets the short end of the stick, to everyone's delight because of the howling funny situations that ensue. These two fine actors are a natural match for comedy. It would be nice to see another great script that could bring them together again. The two characters are almost opposites, and thus the perfect match for much laughter. Here's an example toward the end of the film. Freddie throws a fit and says: "Of all the lousy… She is disgusting! She is lying, deceitful, two-faced! She is conniving and she is dishonest!" Lawrence, chuckling, says, "Yes. Isn't she wonderful?"I also liked the locations for much of the shooting – the French Riviera, around Villefranche and Nice, France. I vacationed there in the summers of 1963 and 1964 while on leave from serving in the Army in Germany. Of course, I didn't stay at the Grand Hotel du Caps-Ferrat or a luxury villa. That area along the Cote d'Azur has one of the most scenic shorelines in the world.One thing in the movie was so obviously wrong, yet everyone seemed to go along with it, so I wonder if it wasn't intentional. Could the writers and director have been spoofing the audience? This refers to the scenes of Steve Martin in a military uniform. The trivia section has an item about this – that he passes himself off as a naval officer, yet he's wearing a U.S. Army dress blues uniform that clearly shows the rank of corporal. This couldn't be a simple oversight, because several characters refer to him as "officer Benson." Jamieson, as a British Naval volunteer reservist surely would know the insignia of ranks on American uniforms, as well as branches of service. I think this may have been intentional and a spoof of the idle rich on the playgrounds of Europe. The point being that if they noticed Freddy at all, they wouldn't know one branch of service or one rank from another. And, one would think that Freddy was smart enough in running his scams, that he would know what uniform he was wearing and what rank it showed. Ergo, my hunch that this was intentional and meant to spoof the audience and the communities of the idle rich who could so easily be taken in by conmen and women. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a must for any comedy film collection. It's one of the funniest movies ever made.