Steve Martin stars in one of his funniest roles in the late 1980's hit comedy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Working with seasoned veteran Michael Caine, the two surprisingly combine to create a hilarious onscreen comedy duo. The two actors play con men, both canvassing the same small territory, and there isn't room for both of them.



In beautiful Beaumont sur Mer on the French Mediterranean coast, Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) and Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine) meet. Both are con men who prey on wealthy women - Freddy using his hard luck stories, and Lawrence utilizing his Old World sophistication and charm. But Lawrence is in a far different league, preying on the wealthy elite of Europe with his years of criminal training. Aspiring to reach such heights himself, Freddy convinces Lawrence to take him on as an understudy. Lawrence relishes the challenge, and together, the two are able to take the town by storm.

But when the boundaries of the small seaside resort become too small for both men, they make a bet as to who is the best at his craft - with the loser agreeing to leave town. Their target is a newly arrived American soap opera star named Janet Colgate. The bet is whoever can get $50,000 from her or go to bed with her first. With the two masters of their craft working against each other, the young American girl is pulled in every direction at once. At least until the two men find out who the true winner of their bet is.

Clever and humorous, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a classic in the comedy genre. It has several memorable scenes, a number of which are saved until the very end (which has a surprising conclusion). Among them is when Lawrence, playing the role of an imminent psychologist, dances with Janet in a bar while Freddy pathetically looks on from his wheelchair. With Lawrence hurling a series of insults such as "get up out of that chair and dance with this girl," Freddy tells a group of sailors a sob story about how Janet used to be his girl until she was stolen away by a man who could walk. The sailors kidnap Lawrence with every intention of teaching him a lesson, but Lawrence quickly turns the tables on Freddy.

I highly recommend Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as a great night of entertainment to people of all persuasions. Far from the realm of a slapstick comedy like The Naked Gun, or the borderline ridiculous humor of Airplane, it exhibits a presence of sophistication reminiscent of its subject matter - two con men working the elite and wealthy social circles of Europe. Like Frasier, it displays all the nuance preferred by educated viewers without being snobbish. But most of all, it's downright plain funny! That's why it's a must-see comedy film.