Ruthless People

Synopsis: Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) is a clothing manufacturer, who married his wife Barbara (Bette Midler), 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 Dodsworth (Anita Morris) 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 (Judge Reinhold) and Sandy (Helen Slater) Kessler 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 named Earl Mott (Bill Pullman), and they plan to blackmail Sam, by videotaping him disposing of Barbara's body. When Earl g
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Production: Buena Vista Pictures
  Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
78
Rotten Tomatoes:
94%
R
Year:
1986
93 min
929 Views


Hey

Stand up

Hey

Ruthless People

Ruthless People

Greedy | forever and ever

Success

Greedy | and ever so clever

A mess

Keepin' their right | to creep into paradise

They'll even | blackmail St. Peter

They'll pay any price

Hey

Stand up

Come and see

Ruthless People

Greed and evil | oh yeah

You can have it | if you want it

It might take | the rest of your life

If you want it | you can have it

Do a balancing act | on a knife

You can have it | if you want it

It fits and gets cheap | at the price

If you want it | you can have it

Despite your sweet soul | and your lies

Ruthless People

Ruthless People

Carol, did I ever tell you | why I married her?

Yes, Sam, you told me | many, many -

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 sittin' in the room with him,

watchin' the clock.

They pulled the plug | on him.

He wheezed and shook | for about an hour.

And then...

he stabilized.

That son of a b*tch | just got older and sicker.

And older and sicker!

And older and sicker!

- More coffee, sir? | - No!

I couldn't wait around any longer. | I went out and made my own fortune.

The old fart hung in there | for 15 years!

Finally died | of natural causes.

I want the rest | of that money!

His money, her money, | it's my money!

I had to live with that squealing, | corpulent little toad all these years!

God, I hate that woman! | I-I-I-

I hate the way | she licks stamps.

I hate her furniture.

And I hate that little sound | she makes when she sleeps.

[ Snorting, Baa-ing ] | Ohhh!

And that filthy, little | shitbag dog of hers... Muffy!

- Aren't you scared? | - Scared?

Hell, no. | I'm lookin' forward to it.

My only regret, Carol,

is that the plan | isn't more violent.

Don't you consider throwing | a body off a cliff in the | dead of night violent?

Nah! She'll be unconscious, | knocked out from the chloroform.

I'm talkin' about | hands-on involvement.

Hands-on?

Ohh. Ohh!

Oh-ho! | [ Snort ]

[ Whispering ] | I'm goin' now. I can't wait.

Good luck.

Barbara, dear, | I have something for you.

Barbara?

Where are you, dearest?

I have something for you.

Honey?

Barbara?

Dumpling?

Barbara?

No notes, | no messages.

This is not like you, | you meticulous b*tch!

It's just like that woman | to screw this up.

Damn it!

What are you doin' here? | Mining the carpet | with little poodle bombs?

Here! Take a whiff of this, | you little fruitcake.

I'll kill you!

- [ Yipping ] | - I'll wring your neck!

You hairy rat!

[ Phone Ringing ]

- Hello. | - [ Man ] Mr. Stone?

Listen very carefully. | We have kidnapped your wife.

We have no qualms about | killing and will do so | at the slightest provocation.

- Do you understand? | - Who the hell is this? | Is this some joke?

I have no patience for | stupid questions, Mr. Stone, and | I don't like repeating myself.

Do you understand?

All right, I'm sorry. | Please continue.

You are to obtain a new, black | American Tourister briefcase,

- model number 81 04. | Do you understand? | - Yes.

In it you will place | $500,000 in unmarked,

nonsequentially | numbered $100 bills.

- Do you understand? | - Sure.

Monday morning at | 11:00 a.m., you will proceed | with case in hand,

to Hope Street Plaza and | wait for a phone to ring.

You will receive | further instructions then.

- Do you understand? | - Yes, I do.

You'll be watched at | all phases of execution.

If anyone is with you or if | any action is not carried out | to our complete satisfaction,

it will be considered | an infraction of the rules, | and your wife will be killed.

- Do you understand? | - I believe so.

If you notify the police, | your wife will be killed.

If you notify the media, | she will be killed.

If you deviate from our | instructions in any way | whatsoever, she will be killed.

- Do you understand? | - Perfectly.

[ Sirens ]

Reporter | Just 45 minutes ago, | Mr. Stone received a call...

from a man demanding | a ransom for his wife, Barbara.

[ Muffled Cries ]

- [ Groan ] | - Kenny!

Barbara Struggling

[ Grunting ] | Grab her legs.

[ Muffled Cries Continue ]

Aah!

Do you think | she's dead?

[ Muffled Cries ]

Aah!

[ Grunting ]

Muffled Cries Continue

[ Muffled Cries ]

You f***ed | with the wrong person!

My husband does business | with the Mafia.

When they track you down, | you, your entire family, | everyone you ever knew...

will all get chain saw enemas | and that's not all!

Oh, my God! | I've been abducted by Huey and Duey.

An-- | [ Sniffing ]

Jesus Christ! | It smells like a toilet in here!

- It's just the ammonia. | - We scrubbed down here for hours | on our hands and knees,

Kenny | For God's sake.

My husband worships | the ground I walk on! | Wait till he hears about this!

He will explo-o-ode!

Bye-bye, Barbara. | [ Snickering ]

In local news, a kidnapping | today in Bel Air.

Police tell us this woman, | Barbara Stone,

the wife of clothing tycoon, | Sam Stone,

was abducted earlier today | from the couple's estate | on Bellagio Drive.

Preliminary sources indicated | that Mr. Stone was contacted | late this afternoon...

and that a ransom demand | has been made. Police officials--

[ Newscaster 2 ] | ...kill Mrs. Stone | if demands were not met.

It's on every | goddamn channel!

Millionaire heiress, Barbara Stone, | has been kidnapped...

from her | Bel Air mansion.

What'd he do, | hire a publicist?

I feel terrible. | Do you feel as guilty as I do?

Guilty? | Are you kidding?

He takes our money, | steals your idea,

goes out and makes | a million dollars, | and you feel guilty?

I can't | believe it!

- How many times | have we been over this? | - Oh, honey, not again.

Let me remind you | of something.

You are the spandex | miniskirt king.

Not him. | He is the spandex miniskirt thief.

He's the one | who should feel guilty.

Look at this. | Do you remember this?

You cried for a week | when you saw this. Look at | the smile on that a**hole.

I know he stole it, but she | really didn't do anything.

She was his partner! | Oh, damn it, Sandy.

Do you enjoy | getting stepped on? Do you?

'Cause I don't, | and I don't feel guilty.

I take it back. | I do feel guilty.

I feel very guilty. | I trusted a sleazeball | like Sam Stone...

with our life savings | on a handshake deal,

and then sat there | and watched him take it | all away from us.

But that's over. | We know better now.

From now on, | we trust no one.

To hell with everybody else. | We've got to be ruthless.

- Think ruthless. | - What if I can't think ruthless?

You've got to. It's good for you. | It makes you strong.

What the hell's the sense | of being a decent person | when nobody else is?

Let's be a**holes | and get rich!

- [ Squealing, Moaning ] | - Whirring Noises

Oh, oh! I'm crazy about you, | you big galoot!

Ooh, you were | somethin' today!

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Dale Launer

Dale Launer (born May 19, 1952) is an American comedy screenwriter. His films include Ruthless People, Blind Date, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Ruthless People" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/ruthless_people_17284>.

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