Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Today in class, I really enjoyed watching the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. On the topic of laughter, I noted a few instances that caused both me and my classmates to laugh while watching it. The film’s humor came from a mix of clever dialogue, exaggerated performances, and the ridiculous situations the characters found themselves in, or should I say, pretended to be in.

One moment that made the class laugh was when the French officer joked with Freddy in jail, saying he had been caught with another woman because he was American. It was funny because of the quick, playful jab at national stereotypes. I believe this falls under the superiority humor category, which definitely fit well here given Freddy’s situation.

Another scene that got a lot of laughter was when Lawrence told a woman outside the hotel that the lady calling him “Prince” was one of his former incurable patients. It was clever and unexpected, which made it that much funnier. Similarly, each time Freddy pretended to be the “special” brother in order to trick women into ending a marriage Lawrence never intended to see through, his performance was so outrageous and over-the-top that you couldn’t help but laugh.

Overall, the class laughed because Dirty Rotten Scoundrels balanced extreme, ridiculous actions with clever dialogue and great delivery. The jokes worked not only because of what was said, but because of how well timed and performed each scene was. The ending was perfect, with both Freddy and Lawrence ultimately getting tricked and Janet walking away with all the money. I truly enjoyed the film and look forward to watching the next one!