Synopsis
A bitter writing teacher wants his successful ex-wife dead. A put-upon mama's boy writing student wants his overbearing mother dead. Will there be a criss-cross murder plot?
Scores
Overall Score
80.5
Popularity Percentile (Year)
79.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
93.6%
Review Aggregate
60.2
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 67% of 18 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, dark, lighthearted. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
funnydarklightheartedsuspensefulcharacter-drivenemotional
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny DeVito | 1987 | $5,000,000 source | $13,807,219 | reported |
| Billy Crystal | 1987 | $701,000 | $1,936,000 | (est) |
| Anne Ramsey | 1987 | $528,000 | $1,458,000 | (est) |
| Kim Greist | 1987 | $432,000 | $1,192,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score64.0
RT critic review count36
Rotten Tomatoes audience score54.0
RT audience rating count25,000
IMDb rating6.3
IMDb votes43,081
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1987 | $57,915,972 | $159,931,700 |
| International | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1987 | $57,915,972 | $159,931,700 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1987 | $28,957,986 | $79,965,850 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1987 | $33,381,000 | $92,179,754 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1987 | $15,571,000 | $42,998,441 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1987 | $16,216,472 | $44,780,876 |
| Total Revenues | 1987 | $94,126,458 | $259,924,921 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1987 | $14,000,000 | $38,660,213 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1987 | $9,447,000 (est) | $26,087,359 (est) |
| Participations | 1987 | $7,530,000 | $20,793,672 |
| Residuals ? | 1987 | $4,392,000 | $12,128,261 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1987 | $2,800,000 | $7,732,043 |
| Total Expenses | 1987 | $38,169,000 | $105,401,547 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1987 | $55,957,458 | $154,523,374 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Serial Mom | 1994 | Shared genres: 6 | 62.4 | $22,213,409 |
 | Burn After Reading | 2008 | Shared genres: 4 | 89.4 | $40,618,931 |
 | The Player | 1992 | Shared genres: 4 | 78.4 | $60,636,575 |
 | Grosse Pointe Blank | 1997 | Shared genres: 4 | 77.9 | $44,064,267 |
 | The Ladykillers | 2004 | Shared genres: 4 | 77.7 | $20,233,794 |