Ruthless People
1986 · 94 min · Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) is a clothing manufacturer who married his wife Barbara (Bette Midler) for the money that she was supposed to inherit from her dying father, but her father didn't die for another 15 years. He is now planning to kill her and he tells his girlfriend Carol Dodsworth (Anita Morris) what he intends to do. He then goes home to do just that, but when he gets there, she's not there. He soon receives a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped Barbara and threatening to kill her if he informs the police--which he does, hoping that they do. What Stone doesn't know is that the kidnappers, Ken (Judge Reinhold) and Sandy (Helen Slater) Kessler are a couple whose idea for a garment he stole and made a fortune with, are not that lethal' actually, Barbara is more lethal. Stone also doesn't know that Carol has another boyfriend, Earl Mott (Bill Pullman), and they plan to blackmail Sam by videotaping him disposing of Barbara's body. When Earl goes there to do that, the person who goes there is not Sam but a man with a hooker (Jeannine Bisignano), and he instructs the hooker to scream her head off. Earl mistakenly believes that Barbara's not dead and that Sam is killing her there; he's so freaked out that he doesn't think to make sure it's actually Sam. Carol tries to activate her plan by sending Sam a copy of the tape; Sam thinks that it's for something kinky that Carol wants and when Sam tells her that he'll do to her what was done on the tape and she assumes that he will kill her, so she sends another copy of the tape to the Chief of Police (William G. Schilling), and tells him that she wants him to arrest Sam for murdering Barbara, and the Chief is happy to oblige--because he is the man on the tape. The Chief manages to find the instruments that Sam intended to use to kill Barbara and arrests him. Now Sam must get Barbara back, alive, so he can prove he didn't kill her. Meanwhile, Barbara starts to bond with Sandy.
Emotional fingerprint
Ruthless People (1986) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 40%, Satisfaction 20%, Surprise 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Humor40%
- Satisfaction20%
- Surprise15%
- Excitement15%
- Anger10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Satisfaction, Surprise. Genres: Comedy, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Satisfaction and Surprise. Its IMDb rating of 6.9/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Humor
- Tension
- Curiosity
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Humor | Tension | Curiosity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Humor | 48 % | 37 % | 30 % | 36 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Tension | 53 % | 37 % | 42 % | 41 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Humor | 55 % | 42 % | 45 % | 43 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Curiosity | 56 % | 49 % | 39 % | 43 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Humor | 58 % | 50 % | 38 % | 39 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Tension | 59 % | 47 % | 46 % | 35 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 31′ | Humor | 58 % | 48 % | 49 % | 36 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 35′ | Humor | 56 % | 52 % | 38 % | 35 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Humor | 54 % | 50 % | 35 % | 38 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 45′ | Humor | 55 % | 43 % | 43 % | 44 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Curiosity | 54 % | 38 % | 47 % | 48 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 54′ | Curiosity | 54 % | 44 % | 43 % | 45 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Humor | 57 % | 54 % | 33 % | 37 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Humor | 60 % | 55 % | 34 % | 41 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Tension | 60 % | 46 % | 47 % | 47 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 60 % | 44 % | 53 % | 48 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Humor | 63 % | 50 % | 56 % | 47 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Tension | 68 % | 47 % | 63 % | 47 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Tension | 67 % | 43 % | 51 % | 38 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 92′ | Relief | 62 % | 48 % | 26 % | 24 % |
Rags to riches
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
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Cast
Hooker in Car
Technician
Stereo Store Customer
Stereo Store Customer
Cop at Jail
Coroner
Details
- Directed by
- Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
- Written by
- Dale Launer, O. Henry
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1986
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Humor
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
Also on
Availability varies by country
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