Ruthless People

Ruthless People is currently streaming in the US on Amazon Prime Video, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 451 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Danny DeVito leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

There is a reason Ruthless People keeps coming up in conversation. Ruthless People does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. 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. Danny DeVito and Bette Midler lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1986. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Ruthless People holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Ruthless People is a strong candidate. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Danny DeVito sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.