Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Aïna Wallé
- Miss Krista Knudsen
- (as Aina Wallé)
Rupert Holliday-Evans
- English Sailor #1
- (as Rupert Holliday Evans)
André Penvern
- Waiter on the Train
- (as Andre Penvern)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe teaser trailer features a sequence which does not appear in the final movie. Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jamieson walk along a boardwalk, politely moving out of the way of other people, etc. with a voiceover saying "There are numerous distinguished gentlemen in the world; refined, cultured gentlemen; nice men; but nice men finish last." As the last few lines are spoken, Freddy pushes an old lady into the water, and Lawrence shoves a child's face into his cotton candy. Director Frank Oz has said that audiences were very surprised to learn that the scene was not part of the finished movie
- GoofsWhen Lawrence Jamison goes to Switzerland, the sign in the train station reads "ZURICH". It should read "ZÜRICH" with an umlaut.
- Quotes
[Sitting at the dinner table]
Freddy Benson: Excuse me. May I go to the bathroom first?
Lawrence Jamieson: Of course you may.
Freddy Benson: [after a pause, and with relief] Thank you.
- Crazy creditsWhile the names of Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning appear in the credits as two of this film's three writers, they are actually there just to credit their script for Bedtime Story (1964), of which this is a remake.
- ConnectionsEdited into Bí Danh: The Enemy Walks In (2002)
- SoundtracksPuttin' On the Ritz
Written by Irving Berlin
Featured review
Don't Remake Hits. Remake Flops
Michael Caine runs confidence games. He's so long-con that he he lives on a magnificent estate on the Riviera and has the local police chief on retainer. Steve Martin scams women out of a hundred francs in railway carriages. When Martin discovers what a pro Caine is, he blackmails him into teaching him the craft. Caine keeps trying to get rid of him, and they settle on Glenne Headley as the bet.
There aren't many remakes that are better than the original. There's a tendency to remake hits, and mechanically apply the techniques. In truth, great movies come along at great moments, and once that moment is gone, it's impossible to replicate it. Perhaps The Maltese Falcon is the best example of a remake that's better than the original. Whatever you may think of the two earlier versions -- and there's no doubt they have their strengths -- John Huston's first movie, Bogart's film that turned him into a true star, Mary Astor in one of her best roles, and Sidney Greenstreet in his screen debut, offer the audience something that had never been seen before Like first love, you can imitate it, but never recapture it.
Remakes of failures. are another matter. There's no need to recapture lightning in a bottle. Just get it right. The first version of this movie, BEDTIME STORY, has a big problem: Marlon Brando has no comedy chops. It also has an issue with the lingering effects of thirty years of the Production Code weighing on what is essentially a pre-code movie.
This movie suffers no such issues, and director Frank Oz lets his two stars drag their scams into peribathos. Caine makes a fine, impatient straight man to Martin's shenanigans -- although Dana Ivey, as one of their marks, gets some wonderful reaction shots -- and Miss Headley gives a wonderful two-toned performance. Some of the gags may be drawn out past the viewer's patience, but this is a wonderful comedy.
There aren't many remakes that are better than the original. There's a tendency to remake hits, and mechanically apply the techniques. In truth, great movies come along at great moments, and once that moment is gone, it's impossible to replicate it. Perhaps The Maltese Falcon is the best example of a remake that's better than the original. Whatever you may think of the two earlier versions -- and there's no doubt they have their strengths -- John Huston's first movie, Bogart's film that turned him into a true star, Mary Astor in one of her best roles, and Sidney Greenstreet in his screen debut, offer the audience something that had never been seen before Like first love, you can imitate it, but never recapture it.
Remakes of failures. are another matter. There's no need to recapture lightning in a bottle. Just get it right. The first version of this movie, BEDTIME STORY, has a big problem: Marlon Brando has no comedy chops. It also has an issue with the lingering effects of thirty years of the Production Code weighing on what is essentially a pre-code movie.
This movie suffers no such issues, and director Frank Oz lets his two stars drag their scams into peribathos. Caine makes a fine, impatient straight man to Martin's shenanigans -- although Dana Ivey, as one of their marks, gets some wonderful reaction shots -- and Miss Headley gives a wonderful two-toned performance. Some of the gags may be drawn out past the viewer's patience, but this is a wonderful comedy.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- King of the Mountain
- Filming locations
- Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France(Beaumont-sur-Mer)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $42,039,085
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,840,498
- Dec 18, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $42,039,085
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