June Jokefest Day 4: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Here's a movie that I feel isn't really talked about maybe as much as it should be. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a film that sees Michael Caine and Steve Martin of all people on screen together. Michael Caine plays Lawrence Jamieson, a suave, sophisticated conman who cheats rich, corrupt women out of their money. He runs into Freddie Benson, played by Steve Martin, and arrogant and foolish crook who swindles pretty much everyone he meets just to get by. Jamieson takes Benson under his wing (with ulterior motives, naturally) and mentors him in the art of the swindle. The two however, decide that there aren't enough targets in Beaumont-sur-Mer for the two of them, and compete against each other by seeing who can con an American heiress out of her money first. At the same time, Jamieson worries about an enigmatic con artist known only as The Jackal, who is pulling similar schemes to Jamieson.

The jokes here largely come from the fierce rivalry between Jamieson and Benson, and the different methods they use to try to cheat this woman out of her fortune. Throughout the film, we see the two become increasingly more unscrupulous means, and some of the lows these two stoop to makes for some fantastic comedy, especially when they screw each other over, which is constantly. The chemistry between the two, combined with Glenne Headly's charming performance as Janet Colgate, makes for some spectacular laughs. All three of them have this great presence on screen, and they play off each other incredibly well. They all have strong personality, which of course makes for some of the best laughs of the film.

Michael Caine in particular is superb. He's got this charming demeanor about him, despite playing an absolute scumbag. The film never portrays him as any different to Steve Martin by the way, even if he thinks he is. And that's another thing I love about his character. He sees himself as this noble thief, stealing from the wealthy and corrupt. This is a double edged sword, because on one hand, he does seem to have some kind of a conscience, but on the other, he might just be as corrupt as some of the people he swindles. He goes about his business in this elegant and charismatic manner, which I just find impossible to hate.

Steve Martin on the other hand, is, well, I'm not a fan of his anyway. Don't get me wrong, I respect him as a comic, I see why he's popular, and I understand why he was as successful as he was, but I am not a fan of his work. Not even here. I'm sorry, but this guy drags the film down for me. I just don't find him funny, and I'm not too sure why. Just something about his style doesn't work for me. I get the character that he's playing is a jackass, but even then, I don't think he makes it work here. And not only can it be done, it can be done well. Incredibly well. And for me Steve Martin just doesn't do it. He gets a laugh every once and a while (especially when he's posing as Jamieson's mentally challenged younger brother), but generally he just kind of annoys me. And yeah I praised him earlier, but that's only when he's playing off of Caine and Headly, which he does well. On his own though, I can't stand him. I know that maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but it's what stops me from calling this movie the funniest I've seen (foreshadowing).

Regardless, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has a wonderful comedic script, tight direction, wonderful comic chemistry and is just a very funny film. Yes, it's brought down by Steve Martin, but it's saved by two things: Michael Caine and his wonderful comic timing, and the intelligent script, especially with it's twist ending (which I refuse to spoil here). Both work so well together that they make the movie irresistibly funny. I'd honestly say go see it, it's very funny. If you like Steve Martin, you'll probably get more out of it than I did, but if you're like me and you don't like Steve Martin, watch it anyway. There's enough in this movie for me to keep it fun, enjoyable, and most importantly, funny. So yeah, go and give it a watch.