History Film / WhatsTheWorstThatCouldHappen

* FakinMacGuffin: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Kevin and Max are on a boat fighting over possession of the 'lucky ring', when they both look at the ring (which is on Kevin's finger) and realise it is not the original ring, and that someone has substituted a fake earlier in the caper.]]

''What's the Worst That Could Happen?'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Creator/MartinLawrence and Creator/DannyDeVito. Loosely based on the ''Literature/{{Dortmunder}}'' novel of the same name by Donald E. Westlake, the film's supporting cast includes Creator/JohnLeguizamo, Creator/BernieMac, Creator/LarryMiller, Nora Dunn, GQ, and Creator/WilliamFichtner.

[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whats_the_worst_that_could_happen.jpg]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Max Fairbanks is two-timing his wife with a mistress and is an asshole to both of them. Strangely enough he still is afraid of this affair being discovered (maybe because he doesn't wants to lose any money in the divorce) so Tiffany (the aforementioned lover) manages to make Max do what she wants a couple of times during the film by threatening to tell Max's wife.

* FakinMacGuffin: At the end of the film, Kevin and Max are on a boat fighting over possession of the 'lucky ring', when they both look at the ring (which is on Kevin's finger) and realise it is not the original ring, and that someone has substituted a fake earlier in the caper.

* HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: Max is called before a Senate hearing. Kevin and Berger follow Max to Washington to try and rob Max's apartment. There, Kevin learns that Max intends to secretly bribe the senators, and replaces the bribe money with insulting notes in Max's name. While Max later addresses the Senate Committee he gets a call from Kevin who tells him that if Max will give him his ring back he will give him back his. Max refuses and proceeds to repeatedly curse at Kevin. To the senators, and other viewers, it appears he is speaking to them, with the result being that the hearing ends very badly for Max.

Thief Kevin Caffery attempts to rob from the home of rich businessman Max Fairbanks. But Fairbanks catches him and steals his cherished ring that his girlfriend gave him. Caffery is then bent on revenge and getting his ring back with the help of his partners.

* GeneralRipper: Max's head of security is a lunatic, still reminiscing [[WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell the glory days of working for the government during the Cold War]].

* EvilIsPetty: Fairbanks catches Kevin ''in fraganti'' while the latter is stealing his house and calls the cops. Kevin overall is okay with that. And then Fairbanks lies that the ring is his property just got the sake of the fun of "stealing something from the thief". This puts Kevin on the warpath. And then Fairbanks absolutely refuses to give the ring back even after Kevin has brought him to near ruin and makes clear there is only one thing that will make him stop, and the only other person that doesn't thinks it's stupid is Fairbanks' insane head of security.