Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is currently streaming in Australia on Stan and MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Steve Martin's performance alone is worth the time investment. Available now on Stan — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels earns its spot. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Con artist Lawrence Jamieson is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he enjoys the lavish fruits of his deceptions -- that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson, shows up. When the new guy's lowbrow tactics impinge on his own sophisticated work and believing him to be the infamous conman 'The Jackal', Lawrence resolves to get rid of him. Confident of his own duplicitous talents, he challenges Freddy to a winner-takes-all competition: whoever swindles their latest mark, American heiress Janet Colgate, out of $50,000 first can stay, while the other must leave town. Steve Martin and Michael Caine lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1988. What keeps Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Steve Martin is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.