Review of Trading Places

Introduction

Eddie Murphy must be a performer positively brimming with talent. Whereas most actors make do with just one career in Hollywood, Murphy is well on his way into his second. For an actor who is most renowned today for safe, family friendly films like The Nutty Professor and Dr Dolittle, it becomes hard to remember that he made a living with stand-up material that would make sailors blush, and his films equally favoured a biting wit and a foul mouth over endless arse jokes. As you would guess, I by far prefer his film output from the eighties over the safe and predictable films of today. One of the first films he made was with fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus Dan Aykroyd, a quintessentially eighties comedy called Trading Places.

The Duke Brothers, Randolph and Mortimer own the oldest and most prestigious commodities brokers in Philadelphia. They are also unprincipled, greedy and manipulative, so when Randolph finds an article in a scientific journal about genetics, he espouses his own theory about environment over breeding. Mortimer disagrees, saying that breeding will always tell, and naturally the two wily old men make a friendly wager over the matter, a wager that will turn the lives of two people upside down. Billy Ray Valentine, a hard-up con artist from the streets is unaware that he will soon be an influential Wall Street investor, waited upon hand and foot, and only accepting the finest things in life. But to make room for Billy Ray`s climb to the top, someone`s life will have to be ruined, and soon Louis Winthorpe III, who runs the Dukes` company will find himself framed for theft, jailed for dealing drugs, turned out of his house, shunned by his friends and despised by his fiancé. Penniless and on the streets, he finds unlikely assistance from streetwise prostitute Ophelia, and begins plotting to get his life back.

Video

Trading Places gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, and for a back catalogue title from 1983, the picture looks exceptionally good. Aside from a touch of grain, the image is clear and sharp throughout. The film is set in Philadelphia during the winter months, so the prevalent colour is grey. There may be a touch of print damage, but it`s only really evident in some stock footage of the World Trade Centre.

Audio

There is a DD 5.1 English soundtrack as well as DD 2.0 mono in French, German, Italian and Spanish. The surround track really only is an opportunity to give the music space to breathe. `The Marriage Of Figaro` accompanies the opening titles and the music makes full use of the surrounds. However the film is more of a dialogue piece and there is little call for a lot of surround flair here. The dialogue is clear throughout by the way, and just in case there are more subtitle tracks than you could shake a stick at.

Features

This is a Paramount disc, so nothing to see here, move along.

Conclusion

Trading Places still has to be one of my favourite comedies. It`s witty, hilarious and side splittingly funny from beginning to end, and that`s without having to resort to the gross toilet humour that seems to be obligatory in any more recent comedy. It`s a classic culture clash tale, with the downtrodden hustler taking the place of the aloof and effete snob, and both of them learning something that ends up making them better people. The script is excellent with every line a gem. The machinations and sheer chicanery of the Dukes is a wonder to behold; yet it makes the eventual denouement all the sweeter. It`s also wonderfully timeless, as long as greed and poverty remain part of society, then this film will find an audience. Despite the incongruousness of the story, it doesn`t seem at all contrived which has much to do with the perfect casting as anything else.

Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, who both sparkle in the roles, play the two Duke brothers. Bellamy makes Randolph appear like the kindly grandfather type, whereas Ameche as Mortimer is a little wizened and bitter, but when the two hatch their schemes, they have a glint in their eyes and a playful malice that lights up the screen. Eddie Murphy shows some of that customary charm as Billy Ray Valentine, wisecracking and genially foulmouthed in that way that made him such a star the first time round. Dan Aykroyd is perfectly cast as Louis Winthorpe III, a pompous upper class snob that would be easy to despise, yet Aykroyd gives him a vulnerability that makes him easy to relate to, even likeable. Jamie Lee Curtis is more than memorable as Ophelia, playing the hooker with a heart of gold, long before Julia Roberts made it such a cliché. But Denholm Elliott as the butler Coleman steals the film. He is torn between loyalty to his employers the Dukes, and his own sense of right and wrong. It`s a small role, but he gives the character a humanity and openness that makes him one of the best characters in the film.

Trading Places is a gem that hasn`t lost its sparkle. It`s an increasingly rare animal in modern cinema, an intelligent comedy that appeals to a broad audience. It`s got brilliant performances from all involved, including Eddie Murphy when his wit was sharpest. The story`s timeless, the script is flawless, and John Landis directs with verve. If that isn`t enough, it also has the fakest gorilla in cinema history. What more of a recommendation do you need?