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Trailer+2 trailers

Ruthless People

1986Movie1 h 34 minR

Comedy
77
GreatGoodWatch score
IMDb6.9Metacritic787.3Rotten Tomatoes93%73%

A thrilling, tense comedy movie about everyday modern life and crime.

Good for date night · friends night · party vibe

Where to watch

Fingerprint

Not for scares or tears.

Movies with

Story

Sam Stone's wife has just been kidnapped... And he doesn't want her back!

Sam Stone hates his wife Barbara so much that he wants her dead. He's ecstatic when she's taken by a duo of kidnappers who want $500,000 ransom in exchange for her life. Fully intending to ignore every one of the kidnappers' demands in the hopes that they do him a favor and murder her for him, the two confused kidnappers have to figure out how they're going get their money, and what they're going to do with the overbearing Barbara.

Feels like

  • Black Comedy
  • Kidnapping Caper
  • Suburban Satire
  • Quirky Characters
  • Fast-Paced
  • Situational Humor
  • Witty Dialogue
  • 80s Nostalgia

Cast

22 of 22

Crew

Directed by
David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams
Written by
Dale Launer
Produced by
Michael Peyser
Music by
Michel Colombier

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

June 26, 1986 · 1 h 34 min · R

Released
June 26, 1986
Runtime
1 h 34 min
Age rating
R
Content
Strong Language
Genres
Comedy
Original language
English
Made in
United States
Budget
$11 million
Box office
$72 million
Available in
45 countries

Tropes

Fat Suit, Description Cut, Humiliation Conga +9

  • Fat Suit
  • Description Cut
  • Humiliation Conga
  • Pet the Dog
  • Funny Background Event
  • Gambit Pileup
  • What Happened to the Mouse?
  • The '80s
  • Ambiguously Jewish
  • Irony
  • Beneath Notice
  • Mood Whiplash

12 of 94 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

6 questions, like "Where can I stream Ruthless People?"

Questions about Ruthless People

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Ruthless People?

In the United States, you can rent or buy Ruthless People from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. It streams in 23 other countries, but not in the United States.

Is Ruthless People worth watching?

77
GreatGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 77 (IMDb 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes 93%, and Metacritic 78). Critics rate it higher (86 out of 100) than audiences (72).

Will Ruthless People make me laugh?

Funny

Yes: the humor is mostly situational comedy (8 of 10) and dark humor (8 of 10).

Can I half-watch Ruthless People?

Easy watchDemanding

Yes: it's easy to follow, with complexity at only 5 of 10, and the viewing guide calls it good for background watching.

Was Ruthless People a box office hit?

Budget$11 million
Box office$72 million

Yes, a big one: it cost about $11 million to make and earned $72 million worldwide, 6.5 times its budget.

What tropes does Ruthless People use?

Fat SuitDescription CutHumiliation CongaPet the DogFunny Background EventGambit PileupWhat Happened to the Mouse?The '80sAmbiguously JewishIronyBeneath NoticeMood Whiplashand 82 more

TV Tropes lists 94 tropes for it, including Fat Suit, Description Cut, and Humiliation Conga.