Radio Times
Ruthless People
June 1986
Airplane! partners Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker teamed up again for this fun comedy about a pair of bumbling kidnappers – Helen Slater and Judge Reinhold – who snatch wealthy Bette Midler and discover that her husband Danny DeVito doesn’t want her back. The movie twists and turns as a whole host of other people get involved (including Anita Morris as DeVito’s mistress and a young Bill Pullman as her mentally challenged lover). DeVito and Midler are superb in their roles as the greedy philanderer and his screaming, overbearing other half.
PLOT SUMMARY
Black comedy from the Airplane! team, starring Danny DeVito and Bette Midler. Wealthy businessman Sam Stone plans to murder his wife so he can marry his mistress. He thinks his problems are over when his wife is kidnapped by a young couple who threaten to kill her if their ransom demands are not met. But Sam’s life is about to get even more complicated.
