TRADING PLACES (1983)

TRADING PLACES (1983)

Tagline: They're not just getting rich... They're getting even.

(Comedy, Role Reversal, Social Commentary) [R]

You know, you can't just go around and shoot people in the kneecaps with a double-barreled shotgun 'cause you pissed at 'em.

In this one, Billy Ray Valentine is down on his luck and decides to start trying to get by as a street hustler. After being exposed by the cops, he is backing away from some other cops and runs into a businessman and total a-hole Louis Winthorpe. Winthorpe accuses Valentine of trying to steal a briefcase from him and Valentine ends up getting arrested. Winthorpe’s bosses pretty much hate him, so they decide to bail out Valentine and have him take Winthorpe’s job while framing Winthorpe for stealing and drug possession. Valentine is able to shine but becomes disillusioned with Duke and Duke’s intentions and the fact that they are just freakin a-hole racists. Winthorpe begins a spiral toward oblivion even though he is getting taken care of by a prostitute named Ophelia. 

To this day this movie gets a lot of praise for its comedic value. It’s considered a film where both Dan Aykroyd (GHOSTBUSTERS) and Eddie Murphy (BEVERLY HILLS COP) were at the top of their game and delivered amazing amounts of comedy. Having said that, it is very likely if this movie were made today, most theaters would probably refuse to carry it without it being heavily edited. That is because the movie features a few characters that are blatantly racist and say words I don’t even think you are allowed to mention on some social media platforms. Not that you should be saying them. The other thing is, unfortunately, features is “black face”. So if you watch this, definitely approach with a little bit of thick skin, because this was made in the 80s when language wasn’t nearly as sensitive as it is these days. As far as I know, no one in the film has been accused of being any of these characters in real life or sharing their opinions. 

One of the more interesting things about this movie is that Paramount didn’t want Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN) involved. At the time she was considered a b-movie actress. Needless to say director John Landis disagreed and all three of the movie's main stars are still making movies to this day. Curtis is one of them. Yes, Jamie Lee has been involved in some movies that would be considered b-movies, but she is basically an A-lister these days in spite of some of her goofier political rants. It seems like some actors and actresses love playing characters that would punch them in the face if they met the actors that played them in real life. 

Regarding the social commentary, this thing is a good watch if for anything else, just to check yourself and see if you fit any of the categories in this movie. Are you treating people differently because of their race or social status? If you are, knock that off right now, repent before the Lord Jesus Christ, make amends with anyone you have a beef with, and stop being a clown. The End. I think the other thing this movie addresses is “being fake”. While this story definitely takes an anti-fake stance it also implies late in the film that everything has a nice little bow on it in the end. I don’t think having one common goal fixes a lifetime of being an a-hole, but maybe it’s a first step?

Overall we do get some pretty funny moments in this and to be honest, I could listen to Eddie Murphy’s laugh for an hour. His laugh is inviting and infectious. I have never been a huge fan of Aykroyd’s outside of GHOSTBUSTERS, but every once in a while he hits it out of the park. This is not of those times. Everything seems to work in this thing, but it is sadly probably an accurate depiction of “some” rich people’s thoughts on the poor, black people, and likely minorities. For me this was a 4 out of 7, but not nearly the timeless comedy a lot of reviews make it out to be.

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