Trading Places (1983) – Encore Review

“Hey that’s the motherf- I mean… that’s the gentleman that had me busted.” – Billy Ray Valentine

Number of Times Seen – At least ten times (Cable and video in the 80’s, DVD, 20 Jun 2016 and 16 Mar 2020)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – Two rich bankers make a bet that they can turn a street bum into a successful businessman and force a successful businessman to resort to crime.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recall seeing on cable as a kid and have always loved it ever since.

The story itself is basically all about conducting a social experiment and it’s both surprising and sad that it still is effective after so many years and feels both poignant and important in all that they show us.

The film sports an amazing cast led by Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd who are both perfectly cast in these roles.

The film does a wonderful job mixing together both dramatic and comedic moments that help make this film so enjoyable to watch.

The choice to cast Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche is the pivotal role of the Duke Brothers pays off because they both seem to excel in these role that are devious and cutthroat because it is so far from the kind of roles we are use to them taking on.

This is a very quotable film and it remains one of Murphy’s best roles because both he and Ackroyd are given the chance to show how great actors they are by having to take on roles where the characters must constantly change their personalities and abilities and they both pull it off in each of these roles.

Bottom Line – Really fun film that works on numerous levels. The cast is superb and both Murphy and Ackroyd both show how great they can be in these kind of roles. The story has a great setup about social experiments and even after 37 years, what they do here is still important and poignant in various ways. The film does a great job mixing together comedy and drama and they successfully keep things really fun and enjoyable the whole way through. Loved seeing Bellamy and Ameche is these roles which are so very different from the kind that they usually play and they are devious and cutthroat in all that they do here. Such a quotable film that is unfortunately still very relevant today. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In 2010, as part of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act, which was to regulate financial markets, a rule was included which barred anyone from using secret inside information to corner markets, similar to what the Duke brothers tried to do in the movie. Since the movie inspired this rule, it has since become known as the Eddie Murphy Rule. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)