Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Bilking heiresses is the primary occupation of Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine). Posing as a prince for an underdeveloped third world country that is a prime candidate for a Communist takeover, Jamieson blithely amasses his fortunes--until his sovereignty is challenged by a penny-ante clodhopper, Freddy Benson (Steve Martin). When Freddy threatens to reveal Lawrence as a cad, the latter proposes a wager: whichever manages to scam 50 grand off of an American soap queen (Glenne Headly), stays on the French Riviera, and the loser must get out of Dodge. While the story is neither new nor particularly well-written, director Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors) adds a handful of nice comic touches, and the leading trio are clearly having a ball with the material. Martin's short stint as brother Ruprecht, the idiot prince--who's brought out after Jamieson has secured the money from, and promised his hand in marriage to, yet another victim--is a howl. A mild divertissement, this is recommended for larger fiction collections. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Jan. 29, 2019—Shout! Factory, 110 min., PG, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1988’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include audio commentary by director Frank Oz, an interview with writer Dale Launer (24 min.), and a vintage featurette (7 min.). Bottom line: this 'collector’s edition' is the one to pick up for those who don’t already own the earlier Blu-ray release.]