History Film / DirtyRottenScoundrels

* WhamLine: "Goodbye boys. I'll miss you. Love, Janet, [[spoiler:the Jackal]]."

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dirty_rotten_scoundrels_442.jpg]]

Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a sophisticated, cultured con artist who preys on rich women visiting the French Riviera, extracting large sums from them voluntarily by masquerading as an exiled prince who needs help to regain his throne. One day, he meets a less ambitious — and far less polished — con artist, Freddy Benson (Martin), who is conning women out of money for lunch and train tickets by masquerading as an impoverished charity worker. Worried that Freddy may interfere with his work after he sees a newspaper article describing the con-work of "The Jackal", and after attempting to train him in culture and conning, Lawrence makes a [[TheBet bet]] with him: The first of them to con a selected mark out of $50,000 can stay in the area, while the other must leave. The two decide the mark is to be the apparently wealthy socialite Janet Colgate (Creator/GlenneHeadly). Complications and [[HilarityEnsues hilarities ensue]].

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dirty_rotten_scoundrels_442.jpg]]

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. In 2019, the concept was adapted with a GenderFlip into ''Film/TheHustle'' with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: How Freddy and Lawrence both try to get the money from Janet.

* SpanishPrisoner: Lawrence's main scam is a variation on this; he plays the Prince himself, and is in exile already (though in desperate needs of funds to finance LaResistance back home) when he meets the mark (usually an unsophisticated, rich, ''female'' American tourist). When Steve Martin comes on, Martin takes on the role of the Prince's "special" brother to drive the mark away of her own volition once the money has been obtained. Thus, any unseemly violence (fake though it would be) is avoided entirely. (Caine is almost caught in one scene in the movie where he is recognized by a former mark while working on another one, using another identity, and has to use some fast thinking to prevent both from getting suspicious.)

%%* BastardUnderstudy: Freddy Benson.

%%* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Janet Colgate.]]
%%* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Both Lawrence ''and'' Freddy.]]

* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lawrence stealthily berates Freddy for his lack of sophistication:

Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a sophisticated, cultured con artist who preys on rich women visiting the French Riviera, extracting large sums from them voluntarily by masquerading as an exiled prince who needs help to regain his throne. One day, he meets a less ambitious — and far less polished — con artist, Freddy Benson (Martin), who is conning women out of money for lunch and train tickets by masquerading as an impoverished charity worker. Worried that Freddy may interfere with his work after he sees a newspaper article describing the con-work of "The Jackal", and after attempting to train him in culture and conning, Lawrence makes a [[TheBet bet]] with him: The first of them to con a selected mark out of $50,000 can stay in the area, while the other must leave. The two decide the mark is to be the apparently wealthy socialite Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Complications and [[HilarityEnsues hilarities ensue]].

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJWHBb3AHq4 first teaser trailer]], which contains specially filmed footage not found in the movie. Freddy and Lawrence are slowly strolling down a riverside boulevard. The viewer is likely to notice Freddy pushing the old lady into the water. The viewer is less likely to notice Lawrence pushing a tube of cotton candy into a kid's face.

%%* ObfuscatingDisability: Played for laughs.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. In 2019, the concept was adapted with a GenderFlip into ''The Hustle'' with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lawrence stealthily delivers on to Freddy:

* DoubleMeaning: When Janet gives the briefcase of money back to Lawrence, she tells him "I can't take this. It doesn't belong to me. And I'll always have something from you that means much more". [[spoiler:Little does he know that she's speaking the literal truth: the briefcase actually contains Freddie's clothes (which don't belong to her), and she has his money.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ostensibly, at least. Lawrence Jamieson claims to only target wealthy and corrupt women, and we never ''see'' him do anything to the contrary. He is also appalled by Freddy's suggestion that they change the bet to whoever can bed Janet first (though he is willing to bet that Freddy fails in his own bid to do so).

* GentlemanThief: Lawrence may rob these rich women blind, but he spends it on rare art, ancient wine, and French legacy gardens.

* PunctuatedPounding: Lawrence whipping Freddie while [[ItMakesSenseInContext acting like it's part of his therapy]]: "OrMyNameIsnt [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Doctor! Emil! Shaffhausen!]] *{{Beat}}* [[PunctuatedForEmphasis The Third!]]"

* DirtyCop: Andre is pretty corrupt; he invades the privacy of visiting tourists, keeps a prostitute on retainer (Claudette, who keeps Freddy on the train), arrests foreigners without cause, and gets a healthy cut from Lawrence's work.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. In 2019, the concept was adapted with a GenderFlip into ''TheHustle'' with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. In 2019, the concept was adapted with a GenderFlip into ''Film/TheHustle'' with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. In 2019, the concept was adapted with a GenderFlip into Film/TheHustle'' with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. A second remake titled The Hustle, starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson in the Niven/Caine and Brando/Martin roles respectively, was released in 2019.

A remake of the 1964 film ''Bedtime Story'', which starred Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/DavidNiven and had a different ending. Became a Broadway {{musical}} (starring Creator/JohnLithgow, among others) in 2005. According to Website/IMDb, a remake is in development.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Ostensibly, at least. Lawrence Jamieson claims to only target wealthy and corrupt women, and we never ''see'' him do anything to the contrary.

* MeaninglessVillainVictory: Lawrence technically wins the bet with Freddie, but lets him stay because, in effect, they both lost.

Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a sophisticated, cultured con artist who preys on rich women visiting the French Riviera, extracting large sums from them voluntarily by masquerading as an exiled prince who needs help to regain his throne. One day, he meets a less ambitious -- and far less polished -- con artist, Freddy Benson (Martin), who is conning women out of money for lunch and train tickets by masquerading as an impoverished charity worker. Worried that Freddy may interfere with his work after he sees a newspaper article describing the con-work of "The Jackal", and after attempting to train him in culture and conning, Lawrence makes a [[TheBet bet]] with him: The first of them to con a selected mark out of $50,000 can stay in the area, while the other must leave. The two decide the mark is to be the apparently wealthy socialite Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Complications and [[HilarityEnsues hilarities ensue]].

* TheBadGuyWins: Well, ''all'' of the cast are bad guys, but this is a case [[spoiler: where the antagonist wins, having OutGambitted both the protagonists. (Still, Lawrence is a GracefulLoser.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: A brief mention is made on the train radio of a skilled young con-artist called "The Jackal". Lawrence initially suspects Freddy is the guy, but he isn't. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Janet is The Jackal, and out-smarts both men while getting away scot-free.]]

* ConMan: Lawrence Jamieson, Freddy Benson [[spoiler:, and "Janet Colgate" herself!]]

* EvilVsEvil: A smaller-scale example than most. It starts as a turf-war of sorts between Lawrence and Freddy when Freddy starts plying his trade on Lawrence's traditional stomping grounds, then escalates into a full-blown contest of skill where they both try to see who can con $50,000 out of a wealthy young woman, Janet Colgate, when she shows up. [[spoiler:She then turns it into a full-blown melee-à-trois by misdirecting both of them and getting away with the same sum of money out of which they were trying to con her.]]

* GentlemanThief: Lawrence may rob these rich women blind, but he spends it on rare art, ancient wine and French legacy gardens.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Lawrence]] intends to be this when it looks like [[spoiler: Freddy]] has won their wager. He later is this when it turns out that [[spoiler: Janet]] has played them both. [[spoiler: Freddy]], not so much.

%%* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Both Lawrence ''and'' Freddy]].

%%* WoundedGazelleGambit: Freddy's modus operandi.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Both con men are constantly revising their plans, both from the snags that they keep running into and the other's attempt to sabotage their plans.

* AdaptationExpansion: TheMusical is extremely faithful to the movie, and one of the only changes that it makes are to give Andre and Ms Eubanks more character development.
** The movie is also very faithful to ''Bedtime Story'', except for adding a new ending. The screenwriters of ''Bedtime Story'' even received credit as co-writers of ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' because so much of their material was re-used.

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: Lawrence]] intends to be this when it looks like [[spoiler: Freddy]] has won their wager. He later is this when it turns out that [[spoiler: Janet]] has played them both. [[spoiler: Freddy]], not so much.

* ObfuscatingDisability: Played for laughs.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Janet Colgate, full stop]].
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: Both Lawrence ''and'' Freddy]].

* WoundedGazelleGambit: Freddy's modus operandi.

Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a sophisticated, cultured con artist who preys on rich women visiting the French Riviera, extracting large sums from them voluntarily by masquerading as an exiled prince who needs help to regain his throne. One day, he meets a less ambitious -- and far less polished -- con artist, Freddy Benson (Martin), who is conning women out of money for lunch and train tickets by masquerading as an impoverished charity worker. Worried that Freddy may interfere with his work after he sees a newspaper article describing the con-work of "The Jackal", and after attempting to train him in culture and conning, Lawrence makes a {{bet}} with him: The first of them to con a selected mark out of $50,000 can stay in the area, while the other must leave. The two decide the mark is to be the apparently wealthy socialite Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Complications and [[HilarityEnsues hilarities ensue]].