{"id":32512,"date":"2013-09-09T13:08:47","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T20:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32512"},"modified":"2024-02-10T01:38:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T08:38:41","slug":"trading-places-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32512","title":{"rendered":"Trading Places (1983)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Breeding, Randolph &#8212; same as racehorses; it&#8217;s in the blood.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Poster-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-32516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Poster.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nCorrupt millionaires Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche) Duke plot to reverse the fortunes of a hustling black con-artist (Eddie Murphy) and a privileged white stock broker (Dan Aykroyd) &#8212; all for the sake of a one-dollar bet about nature versus nurture.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Big Business<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Dan Aykroyd Films<\/li>\n<li>Denholm Elliott Films<\/li>\n<li>Don Ameche Films<\/li>\n<li>Eddie Murphy Films<\/li>\n<li>Homeless<\/li>\n<li>John Landis Films<\/li>\n<li>Living Nightmare<\/li>\n<li>Millionaires<\/li>\n<li>Race Relations<\/li>\n<li>Ralph Bellamy Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;very funny modern-day <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prince_and_the_Pauper\"><em>Prince and the Pauper<\/em><\/a> variation&#8221; &#8212; directed by John Landis, and scripted by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod &#8212; remains a &#8220;sweet-tempered screwball comedy in the finest tradition of those memorable social satires of the thirties and forties&#8221;. He points out that Landis &#8220;borrows from Capra (the triumph of the little man over rich, corrupt robber barons) [and] Preston Sturges (a poor man&#8217;s fortunes can change overnight), and adds a dash of absurd humor that is characteristic of his own comedies and the work of his two stars&#8221;. He notes that while the film is ostensibly about the triumph of &#8220;environment over heredity&#8221;, it is &#8220;actually about loyalty, faith, and respect within friendships&#8221;, which are &#8220;the major determining factors in how a person winds up&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>The cast members here are all at the top of their game. Murphy (early in his career) is both infectiously charismatic and consistently hilarious, while Aykroyd is appropriately priggish as his entitled yet ultimately sympathetic foil. Supporting the comedic protagonists are Jamie Lee Curtis (playing an archetypal &#8220;kind-hearted prostitute&#8221;), who projects just the right mix of moxie and casual sexiness; Denholm Elliott (as the distressed butler bullied into turning against his employer, Aykroyd), who invests his minor role with significance; and Bellamy and Ameche (how fun it is to see these veterans on screen together!), who project hiss-worthy villainy. [Kudos to the screenwriters for not shying away from presenting their venally racist attitudes.] Despite the silly appearance of men in gorilla suits late in the game (a personal pet peeve with comedies), <em>Trading Places<\/em> remains a &#8220;true crowd-pleaser&#8221; and a cult favorite, one you&#8217;ll almost certainly enjoy revisiting. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine performances by the entire cast<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Bellamy-Ameche.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis-1024x780.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"488\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis-1024x780.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Curtis.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Aykroyd-Murphy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Aykroyd-Murphy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"924\" height=\"602\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-32513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Aykroyd-Murphy.png 924w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Aykroyd-Murphy-128x83.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Aykroyd-Murphy-300x195.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of authentic Philadelphia locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia-1024x829.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"518\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia-1024x829.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia-128x103.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia-300x242.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia.png 1199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2-1024x834.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"521\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2-1024x834.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2-128x104.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2-300x244.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Trading-Places-Philadelphia2.png 1191w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A smart, witty script<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a cult comedy favorite. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0086465\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/06\/08\/movies\/akyroyd-in-trading-places.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=5515&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/digitalwatch\/tradingplac.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=1063\">Q Network Review<\/a>\t<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/16478\/trading-places#articles-reviews?articleId=276705\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/trading-places\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Breeding, Randolph &#8212; same as racehorses; it&#8217;s in the blood.&#8221; Synopsis: Corrupt millionaires Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche) Duke plot to reverse the fortunes of a hustling black con-artist (Eddie Murphy) and a privileged white stock broker (Dan Aykroyd) &#8212; all for the sake of a one-dollar bet about nature versus nurture. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Big Business Comedy Dan Aykroyd Films Denholm Elliott Films Don Ameche Films Eddie Murphy Films Homeless John Landis Films Living Nightmare&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32512\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32512"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95486,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32512\/revisions\/95486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}