Amazon.com essential video: In this crowd-pleasing 1983 comedy of high finance about a homeless con artist who becomes a Wall Street robber baron, Eddie Murphy consolidated the success of his startling debut in the previous year's 48 Hours and polished his slick-winner persona. The turnabout begins with an argument between super-rich siblings, played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche: Are captains of industry, they wonder, born or made? To settle the issue, the meanies construct a cruel experiment in social Darwinism. Preppie commodities trader Dan Aykroyd (perfectly cast) is stripped of all his worldly goods and expelled from the firm, and Murphy's smelly derelict is appointed to take his place, graduating to tailored suits and a world-class harem in record time. Eventually the two men team up to teach the nasty old manipulators a lesson, cornering the market in frozen orange juice futures in the process. Director John Landis (The Blues Brothers) doesn't have the world's lightest touch, but he hits most of the jokes hard and quite a few of them pay off. Trading Places is also a landmark film for fans of Jamie Lee Curtis. --David Chute
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - The greatest comedy of all time!
This film is the absolute best comedy ever! It may not be the funniest (that probably goes to Tommy Boy - also with Dan Ackroyd - hmm - the burning model car scene makes me laugh until I cry just thinking about it), but for laughs and satisfaction it doesn't get any better. I defy viewers to stop themselves from grinning when Billy Ray explains to the Dukes how Winthorp could "do this to us after all that we've done for you"! The villains are developed admirably and then knocked down in MORE than ... Read More
Rating: - And Old Time Best. Gotta have it.
This is one of the old time favorites. YOu must have it in your collections of comedies. If you can't buy it, Rent It.
Rating: - Great Classic
Great movie, even better in HD, one of Eddie Murphys best, If you area fan this is going to be a non stop laugh, you cant go wrong, especially with the great supporting cast.
Rating: - Great DVD Edition
I loved this edition of very funny and involved movie. The extras are very nice and very informative. The segment on the trading center was pretty good, although I'd hoped the director should have mentioned the fact that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was approached for a location shoot, but turned the studio down because it didn't want any disruptions for its daily operation. That is why NYMEX was chosen. Also, there should have been a tribute to Aaron Russo who produced the film.
Rating: - Details of the rerelease of the Blu-ray edition due out June 3rd, 2008
The Blu-ray "Looking Good, Feeling Good" Edition of Trading Places, which has been unavailable, is being rereleased. It appears to be the very same as before, with the same specs and special features.
The plot of this comedy revolves around a wager between two very rich brothers over nature vs nurture, and specifically whether a rich, successful man and a poor man, if their fortunes were reversed (by "nurture"), would return to their former places because of their nature. To find out, ... Read More
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