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Ruthless People (1986)

R  |   |  Comedy, Crime  |  27 June 1986 (USA)
6.8
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Ratings: 6.8/10 from 20,561 users  
Reviews: 71 user | 23 critic

A couple, cheated by a vile businessman, kidnap his wife in retaliation, without knowing that their enemy is delighted they did.

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Title: Ruthless People (1986)

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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William G. Schilling ...
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Phyllis Applegate ...
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Hooker in Car
J.P. Bumstead ...
Technician
Jon Cutler ...
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Storyline

Sam Stone is a clothing manufacturer, who married his wife Barbara, for the money that she was supposed to inherit from her dying father, but her father didn't die for another fifteen years. He is now planning to kill her and he tells his girlfriend Carol what he is going to do. He then on his way home to do just that but when he gets there, she's not there. He then receives a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped Barbara and threatening to kill her if he informs the police, which he does hoping that they do. What Stone doesn't know is that the kidnappers, Ken and Sandy are a couple whose idea for a garment he stole and made fortune off, are not that lethal, as a matter of fact Barbara's more lethal. And what Stone doesn't know is that Carol, has another boyfriend and they plan to blackmail Sam, by videotaping him disposing of Barbara's body. When her boyfriend, Earl goes there to do that, the person who goes there was not Sam but a guy with a hooker, and the guy instructs the ... Written by <rcs0411@yahoo.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Barbara Stone has just been kidnapped by K-Mart, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

27 June 1986 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

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

Box Office

Gross:

$71,624,879 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

There are some references to the Walt Disney world: Ken and Sandy Kessler are wearing duck masks (presumably Donald's nephews Huey and Dewey) as Barbara Stone says a few minutes later when they first uncover Barbara's face. When Sam Stone visits his lover Carol's house, he's singing "Zip-a-dee Doo-Dah" from Song of the South (1946). Ruthless People (1986) was released under Disney's Touchstone Pictures label, which was created so the studio could release more adult-oriented fare. See more »

Goofs

When the newspaper headline "Kidnapping A Hoax - Husband Has Mistress" is seen, the underlying story is unrelated. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Sam Stone: Carol, did I ever tell you why I married her?
Carol: Yes, Sam, you told me many, many...
Sam Stone: Her father was very, very rich, and very, very sick. The doctors assured me he'd be dead any minute. There wasn't a second to lose! I rushed right out and married the boss's daughter. He was so sick, it was like the Angel of Death was sitting in the room with him, watching the clock. They pulled the plug on him... he wheezed and shook for about an hour... and then... he stabilized. The son-of-a-bitch ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits is the line "I Love Wrong Numbers", referring to a scene earlier in the movie where Sam Stone gets a wrong number on the phone and does a vulgar prank to it. See more »

Connections

References Deliverance (1972) See more »

Soundtracks

Modern Woman
Written and Performed by Billy Joel
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User Reviews

 
Midler's Shining Moment.
23 May 2003 | by (Nashville, TN) – See all my reviews

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


13 of 15 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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