Competition at Its Best

Nice guys finish last. At least, that's what Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) and Lawerence Jamison (Michael Caine) believe in the 1988 comedy film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The story follows these two men as they compete to swindle wealthy women out of money. But, they have two very different ways of approaching their chase.

Lawerence Jamison, the debonair, aristocrat, has gained his wealth from preying on exceedingly wealthy and corrupt American women vacationing in his French hometown Beaumont-sur-Mer. With the help of his friend in the police force, he spins a tale that centers on him as the poor Prince trying to liberate his country. It works, as evidenced by one of his victims who says, "Oh, your highness, I don't want money from a man who needs every penny to feed his enslaved people." But, while Lawerence is intentionally deceitful, he vows to only con women who can afford it.

Then, there's Steve Martin's character, Freddy Benson, an American con-artist who will target anyone who falls for his sob story about his grandmother:
"She's been quite ill lately. The hospital bills have been adding up. I just want to do my share. It's tough for me because I was never good with money... But I am going to help my Gram-Gram. She is the one who taught me: it is better to be truthful and good, than to not."

The two meet when Freddy is on the way to Beaumont-sur-Mer with big plans of scamming the local population. Seeing Freddy as competition that might "scare big game away," Lawerence decides that  he needs to get rid of him - fast. After his attempts to mislead Freddy into leaving Beaumont-sur-Mer do not work, Lawerence decides to keep his enemy close and teach him his ways. The two of them tag-team with Lawerence acting as the suave Prince in need and using Freddy as his mentally challenged brother to scare the women away after the money has been collected. After awhile, Freddy becomes frustrated with his secondary position and decides to go back out on his own.

The two reach an impasse as neither is willing to leave the area. They decide to make it into a final competition: the first of them to con $50,000 out of a rich, but naive American heiress will be allowed to stay. The loser will leave. The two select Janet Colgate, a young lady who fits the description, and venture into their schemes. As the two compete for Janet's purse, they are constantly spying and adapting to each other's tactics in order to beat out the other person.

While this film does not have much base in reality, it does hit on some common American trends. For example, in the U.S. we have always valued those who work hard and move up the ladder due to their own accomplishments. The women "victims" in the movie were born into extreme wealth and have never felt the hardship of working. So, even though the women are being taken advantage of, we don't see them as victims. In fact, we see Freddy and Lawerence as the anti-heroes who use their cleverness and charm to deliver a Robin Hood-esque justice (even if they do not share their spoils). While this film is a fun and entertaining watch, it also gives us a window into the American ethos.

Now, I must disclose, that this is one of my favorite movies (if not, the favorite movie). So, I highly encourage you to watch it. But, if you don't have a chance, here are some of the best quotes:

Freddy Benson: I didn't steal any money! She just saw me with another woman! You're French, you understand that!

Policeman: To be with another woman, that is French. To be caught, that is American.

Freddy Benson: Listen. We're the weaker sex. Men don't live as long as women. We get more heart attacks, strokes and prostate trouble. I say, it's time for a change. I say, let them give us money. Let's live off them for a while.

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