'What's the Worst that Could Happen?' is based on Donald Westlake's novel of the same name, discovered by producer Wendy Dytman for The Turman-Morrissey Company when it was still in galleys. It was one in a series of novels Westlake has been writing for over 30 years, the Dortmunder Books, several of which have been made into movies. "Westlake is a wonderful writer. Like Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, he has a real gift for writing wonderful and colorful characters," says Dytman, a longtime fan. "I've always loved these books, but this was the most cinematic of any I'd read from the series." Director Sam Weisman adds, "The thing that attracted me to it was that it reminded me of Damon Runyon's stories, which were the basis for the musical 'Guys & Dolls.'"



At the center of the story are two seemingly very different men, caught up in a stupendous battle of egos. On the one side is Max Fairbanks (DeVito), a very wealthy, powerful man who has built an incredibly successful business empire by being ruthless. On the other side is Kevin Caffrey (Lawrence), a sophisticated procurer of other people's possessions. An accidental meeting brings the two men together, and in a simple moment their fates are sealed: Max catches Kevin during a robbery attempt at his beachside mansion, and once Kevin is caught and flanked by police officers, Max steals Kevin's lucky ring in retaliation, claiming it as his own. Because the ring is his girlfriend's, Kevin is furious and vows to stop at nothing in getting it back...