Ruthless People

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Ruthless People

R

1986

1h 35m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) hates his wife, Barbara (Bette Midler), so much that he wants her dead. He's ecstatic when she's taken by a duo of kidnappers who want $500,000 ransom in exchange for her life. Fully intending to ignore every one of the kidnappers' demands in the hopes that they do him a favor and murder her for him, the two confused kidnappers (Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater) have to figure out how they're going get their money, and what they're going to do with the overbearing Barbara.

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Critics Consensus

It's sometimes crude and tasteless, but Ruthless People wrings acid-soaked laughs out of its dark premise and gleefully misanthropic characters.

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Jay Carr

Boston Globe

The summer's best vulgar Hollywood farce.

Jul 30, 2024

Full Review

Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

One tires of the movie's relentlessly shrill tone and its excessively raunchy jokes.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 20, 2021

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Michael H. Price

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Bette Midler's mastery of lovably obnoxious mannerisms has never had such deliciously wicked exposure, Danny De Vito brings his trademark sleazoid to full seriocomic flower, and Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater approach perfection...

Rated: 7/10

Apr 20, 2021

Full Review

Dan Webster

Spokesman-Review (Washington)

DeVito is superb and Judge Reinhold as one of the kidnappers remains a comfortable presence on screen. But Midler nearly steals the show.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 27, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...the narrative offers the kinds of twists and turns that wouldn't disgrace a Coen brothers thriller...

Rated: 4/5

Dec 5, 2021

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Ryan Murphy

Miami Herald

Screenwriter Dale Launer makes the film earn every laugh with well-crafted cleverly set-up situations. This sophisticated handling of the comedy is definitely Ruthless People's strongest asset.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 20, 2021

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Oggie B

Screenwriter Dale Launer makes the film earn every laugh with well-crafted cleverly set-up situations. This sophisticated handling of the comedy is definitely Ruthless People's strongest asset.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

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Jen N

Bette Midler's mastery of lovably obnoxious mannerisms has never had such deliciously wicked exposure, Danny De Vito brings his trademark sleazoid to full seriocomic flower. Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater approach absolute comic perfection

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/25

Full Review

Jason R

very good film, there's one moment in it where I can't stop laughing it was an awesome moment, also want to take a moment to appreciate how beautiful Helen Slater is.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/25

Full Review

THE NASHVILLE I

If you liked things like The Hangover or Miss Congeniality, then you’ll love Ruthless People. Just a genuinely hilarious script that was very natural, and had that unique gift to do random things but still have then make perfect sense. Middler, Devito, Reinhold and co made up a cast with the balance akin to 10 Things I hare About You.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/12/25

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thiago s

Filme ruim, o roteiro é ruim, o filme tentou trazer cenas de comédia, mas não conseguiu, com uma história fraca e desinteressante da esposa sendo sequestrada e mesmo assim ela adorando ver o marido sofrer, o elenco não ajudou em porra nenhuma, e o final tentaram fazer mais cenas engraçadas, só que não conseguiram, com tudo isso, eu não recomendo esse filme, um dos piores filmes de 1986, e dos irmãos zucker.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Rosana B

A gratidão da mulher que perde 10 kg, kkkk, uma adorável comédia trapalhona, apesar do título ser uma autoafirmação de tentativa de feminicídio onde outrora o politicamente incorreto não existia (relevemos), divertidinho, o quarteto que amo DeVito, Midler (amo), Helen e Judge, com carinha dos anos 80 e toda simpatia cativante que lhe é peculiar… Uma mulher traída e com a autoestima elevada é capaz e tudo, kkkk, muito gostosinho e engraçadinho...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/04/24

Full Review

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Jim Abrahams

Director

David Zucker

Director

Jerry Zucker

Director

Danny DeVito

Sam Stone

Bette Midler

Barbara Stone

Judge Reinhold

Ken Kessler

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Synopsis

Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) hates his wife, Barbara (Bette Midler), so much that he wants her dead. He's ecstatic when she's taken by a duo of kidnappers who want $500,000 ransom in exchange for her life. Fully intending to ignore every one of the kidnappers' demands in the hopes that they do him a favor and murder her for him, the two confused kidnappers (Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater) have to figure out how they're going get their money, and what they're going to do with the overbearing Barbara.

Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Producer: Michael Peyser
Screenwriter: O. Henry, Dale Launer
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.9M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

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