Review of Trading Places (1983) by Robert H — 15 Nov 2013

Previously, I had only seen the edited-for-TV version, but now after seeing it in all its uncut glory I have a new appreciation for it. I thought it was a good, fun time the first time seeing it, but now I think it's excellent and one of the best comedies ever made.

The story deals with a stockbroker played by Dan Aykroyd and a hustler played by Eddie Murphy whose lives are switched because of a bet between two stodgy old commodities traders (who also happen to be brothers).

The way they set up the stark difference between their lives at the beginning is just phenomenal. You get a sense of who they are and what their lives are like, and Eddie Murphy's introduction was just hilarious.

Pretty much every scene he appears in is comedy gold, and Dan Aykroyd plays an excellent foil. The only character I felt a little lacking in was Jamie Lee Curtis' hooker, in a somewhat shoehorned-in romantic subplot.

Nevertheless she does give a good performance (and show off some of her assets...). Generally speaking, the movie does a great job dealing with the fish-out-of-water style comedy at the beginning, but the movie really comes into its own after the two leads discover they're being played and I saw a couple things I definitely didn't remember from before: Dan Aykroyd in blackface and the dean from the Breakfast Club in an ape suit.

I also thought the cameos by Jim Belushi and Al Franken were rather fun as well. And all of this leads to a very satisfying conclusion, making a practically perfect movie. On a side note, it's kind of interesting to look at the two old brothers/tycoons and compare them to the obscenely rich string-pullers in a more recent movie, THE CAMPAIGN, one of which was played by Dan Aykroyd coincidentally (with a similar ending as well).