Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) on Netflix
Con artist Lawrence Jamieson fleeces wealthy women on the French Riviera until hustler Freddy Benson turns up in his town. They bet on who swindles tourist Janet Colgate out of $50,000 first.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.4/1087,441 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes88%
Trailer
Plot summary
Lawrence Jamieson, a British con artist settled in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, takes large sums from wealthy women. His manservant Arthur and Inspector Andre, a corrupt policeman who feeds him information, help him, and one of his roles is a prince in exile collecting money to free his homeland. Freddy Benson, an American hustler who tells women about a sick grandmother, arrives and spoils one of Lawrence's jobs. Taking him for the Jackal, a con man crossing Europe, Lawrence tries to drive him away. Freddy discovers what Lawrence does and forces him to teach his methods. The partnership breaks down over how to run their scams, so they make a wager: whichever man gets $50,000 from Janet Colgate, a newly arrived American soap queen, wins the Riviera and the other must go.
Cast
- Cheryl Payas Lady with Pearls
Show all 20 cast
- Lolly Susias Lady in Rolls Royce
- Georges Gerrard Baffosas Assistant Hotel Manager
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film started as a possible vehicle for Mick Jagger and David Bowie, who asked Dale Launer to write them a screenplay, then dropped out to do a movie with Martin Scorsese. Bowie said they were "a bit tweezed that we lost out on a script that could have been reasonably good."
- Richard Dreyfuss was sent a script and was intended for Benson, but a misunderstanding had him preparing Jamieson instead, so Steve Martin, who had also been asked to play Jamieson, read Benson's part. Oz was excited by Martin's version and settled on that.
- An entire day was spent filming a scene, cut before release, in which Freddy and Lawrence stroll along the promenade politely moving out of people's way until Freddy pushes an elderly woman into the water and Lawrence shoves a little boy's face into his cotton candy.
- John Cleese was approached for the role of Jamieson but declined, and he admitted in a 2008 interview that he regretted doing so.
- MGM produced a remake in 2019, The Hustle, which handed the con-artist roles to Rebel Wilson, Anne Hathaway and Alex Sharp.
- The story reached the stage in 2004, when the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels musical premiered on Broadway with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.
