Trading Places (1983)

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Directed by John Landis.

Starring Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Elliott, Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd.

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The "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many Three Stooges comedies is the basis of John Landis's hit comedy. The fabulously wealthy but morally bankrupt Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) make a one-dollar bet over heredity vs. environment. Curious as to what might happen if different lifestyles were reversed, they arrange for impoverished street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) to be placed in the lap of luxury and trained for a cushy career in commodities brokerage. Simultaneously, they set about to reduce aristocratic yuppie Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd to poverty and disgrace, hiring a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) to hasten his downfall. When Billy Ray figures out that the brothers intend to dump him back on the streets once their experiment is complete, he seeks out Winthorpe, and together the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper plot an uproarious revenge. With the good-hearted prostitute and Winthorpe's faithful butler (Denholm Elliott) as their accomplices, they set about to hit the brothers where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Ten Non-Definitively Classic Mo ...
by lopezdash in Intersection

loved it.

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"1. Manhattan: A Woody Allen classic all too often overshadowed by Annie Hall. The story is pretty much the same as most of Allen's films. He plays a lusty, bumbling New Yorker seeking love wherever he can find itï¿½a search which lands him with a high schooler and later his best friend's mistress. With Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. 2. Small Time Crooks: One of the few recent Woody Allen films worth seeing. The story follows one cookie manufacturer from near failure and foreclosure to fortune and fraud: delightful! 3. Coming to America: Eddie Murphy at his best! Murphy as an African prince arrives in Queens to find a wife and goes undercover as an employee at fast-food restaurant. 4. Trading Places: Eddie Murphy was so funny once, what happened? Oh, right. Enter: Norbit. Here, Dan Aykroyd and Murphy team up to get back at Aykroyd's boss and stick it to The Man. 5. Blues Brothers: Another fine moment for Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd and Jon ... " [More]

The Golden Globe Backlash Is th ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"It’s so easy to criticize the Academy Awards’ ignorance of the merits of comedy (even if such criticism is unfounded), but the Golden Globes have rarely been so deserving of scrutiny in their exclusion of the funny business. After all, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association actually has a category for best comedies of the year. Sure, the genre is still considered second fiddle to drama and has to share its category with musicals (which are sometimes musical dramas), but at least we know there’s a place that honors Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Crocodile Dundee as one of its year’s best pictures (thank goodness for the musical-less ’80s!). The problem is, now that the musical genre is back in (near) full force, comedies are not getting as much recognition, even in their own (shared) category. Following the Globe nominees yesterday, there was a good deal of complaining going on that Knocked Up wasn’t one of the Best Motion Picture Musical ... " [More]

Denholm Elliott: At Your Service
by marymcilwain in Dollar Video Curator

is neutral about it.

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"The Curator's run in recently with appalling customer service at a major, national retail store chain has inspired a recurring loop of angry thoughts. Not the least among them is how hard it is to find good help these days. Harder still, to find it on the Curator's shelves in any film dated post-1992, the sad year a true gent of the stage and screen departed the living for that great hospitality service industry in the sky. Denholm Elliott was a graceful, congenial co-star and servant to many a great actor including but not limited to, Harrison Ford, Sean Astin, Lou Gossett, Jr. and Dan Aykroyd. A moment of gratitude then for Denhold Elliott, a jolly good fellow, far in advance of next year's National Service Professional Appreciation Day. Trading Places (1983) Denholm co-stars as Coleman, a bit of an unscrupulous, opportunistic butler. His boss Louis Winthrope is in a bit of a jam. Seems he's being screwed in a hilarious twist of fate, when his bosses, the wic ... " [More]

Re: eddie murphy
by lukasblu in Dish Me Up Some

liked it.

"i liked shrek ,shrek 2 , mulan(personal faves) and the oldies beverly hills cop1 and 2 and trading places like you. My other faves are: Coming to America (1988)very funny classic with asenio hall(whatever happened to him?)james earl jones in queens ,n.y.(i have actually been there where they filmed that movie,i have seen that mcdugalls{really mcdonalds);i remember the scene when when e.murphy(prince akeem) hands out a stack of money to two homeles old guys that became poor because of the switch of stock shares from the movie Trading Places??; Showtime (2002) great annoying funny cop duo with robert deniro,; Holy Man (1998) ,and Bowfinger(1999) under rated but so-sooo funny especially when e.murphy had to cross that super busy freeway(one my guilty-pleasure funny faves movie)He did win a Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Rolefor: Dreamgirls (2006) which is pretty great ;i believe it is his first win f ... " [More]

Re: What is your Favorite Comed ...
by lukasblu in Grew up in the 80's

liked it.

"what about national lampoon's vacation, trading places, and coming to america;And a lot of my 80's friend still like this ,plus alot of new generation of teens today like ferris buellers day off " [More]

My first R-rated movie!
by i-heart-art in i-heart-art Blog

loved it.

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"So yeah, I was 8 when my parents took me to the movie theater to see this comedy classic when it was first released. In today's society, it might seem scary or irresponsible for parents to allow an 8-year old to see an R-rated film, but 1) I firmly believe that there has been a huge shift in the ratings system (and the output from studios - not nearly as many R-rated films since PG-13 came on the scene...) in my lifetime and 2) this film is rated R for nudity and some mature subject matter (drugs), not violence. I wish that our country was more liberal with showing the human body on TV and in movies (so that sex is not so taboo), like many other countries, and less liberal with the violence (I do believe that kids today are desensitized to violence because it surrounds them in all forms of media); I am proud that my parents felt that it was okay to let me see these types of films with them (and ask questions) from such a young age. Back to my blog about this film specifically: Ed ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

The role reversal premise was an old one, even if it was refreshed by casting a black actor and a white actor in the lead roles. But Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd were sure-fire box-office bets, and the film helped Murphy take another step up the ladder of comic stardom. It was one of the choicest film roles for Aykroyd, whose career has had its share of dim parts, and director John Landis knew how to mix the ingredients into box-office gold. The supporting performance of veterans Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, and Denholm Elliott give the comedy surprising depth. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Tags: SNL-Alum , ragstoriches , roleswitching , Loved-It , hilarious
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