Review of Trading Places (1983) by Liam U — 13 Dec 2010

"Trading Places" is that rarest of things, a perfect storm of comedic genius and talent that has only gotten better with time.

Adapting a script by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod, consummate, multi-faceted director John Landis surrounded himself with several generations of excellent comedians: Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, and Denholm Elliott all lend stellar support; erstwhile scream-queen Jamie Lee Curtis demonstrates she can do more than just be victimized by Michael Myers; and Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd positively shine in the lead roles. To say this movie marks the most successful union of "Saturday Night Live" stars on film is an understatement.

For a farce about a mannered financier (Aykroyd) switching lives with a quick-talking street hustler (Murphy), "Trading Places" contains some very high-brow ideas. Echoes of Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper" are not difficult to spot, but some elements of the story -- forces melding life beyond one's control, change sinking one into existential despair -- make some scenes downright Kafkaesque, notably Aykroyd's early reactions to his unwelcome changes in scenery.

Furthermore, the film's treatment of the uber-wealthy playing with people's lives like puppets seems downright prescient, now that the sins of the world's business leaders have become public knowledge.