Trading Places

I watched a movie called Trading Places, directed by John Landis, released in 1983. It stars Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis. The story is that Winthrope, played by Dan Aykroyd, is a well-to-do gentleman who works for the Duke Brothers, played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, in the commodities trade market. Everything is going great for Winthrop until he runs into (quite literally) Valentine, played by Eddie Murphy. Valentine ends up getting arrested on trumped up charges by Winthrope but one of the Duke brothers makes a bet with the other to see if Winthorpe can make it without his well-to-do stature and bail out Valentine and replace him for Winthrope, disgracing him in the process to accompany his fall. Will Winthorpe make it back up to where he was? Will the Duke Brothers get their come-uppance?
I haven’t seen this film before and I must say that it was quite enjoyable. As a John Landis fan, I was impressed with the film but I certainly wouldn’t call it one of his best. There are little Landis things in it (close up gun pointing in sync, a poster of See You Next Wednesday, a gorilla, the use of music as leitmotif, cameos) and it is great. The music is done by Elmer Berstein, which is masterful in conducting, since a majority of it is classical Mozart. The part where the Duke Brothers make their wager, it reminded me of Job, initially, like God and the Devil making their bet that a holy man would denounce God if all this misfortune fell upon him. It was a bit creepy in some ways because I imagine this how some people actually would be. Though to be fair, Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche were perfectly cast as the greedy antagonists. Aykroyd really showed a lot of range in this film as being a sympathetic character even as a pawn in an elaborate scheme, especially when he hits rock bottom and figures out a way to get even that didn’t involve murder or violence. Eddie Murphy was at the top of his game here as well, flush from Saturday Night Live and gaining momentum though he still was toned down compared to later roles such as Beverly Hills Cop or 48 Hours. I felt like Jamie Lee Curtis was somewhat under-utilized even if she did take in Winthorpe and helped him in the end but still, there seemed like there was much more potential for her in some way that wasn’t used. Denholm Elliot plays Coleman the butler to Winthorpe and Valentine and is well cast as a sympathetic character as well because it seems he has done this before and this was the breaking point for him after seeing so many people go through this “experiment”. Paul Gleason was also perfectly cast as the ubiquitous Clarence Beeks as he played a smug government agent and that is just what he was made for.
Overall, I thought the movie was well made. It had some genuinely funny moments (some of the third act on the train seemed to be ad libbed in some scenes) and some great tension. It was surprisingly short so there isnt a long back story on anyone which works since this is a comedy and it doesn’t need to get bogged down in all that. The characters were well represented and you actually learn about the commodities market as well, at least in simplified terms. Check it out.