Trading Places (1983)
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The story
The film follows an upper-class commodities broker and a poor street hustler whose lives intersect over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The two men are unwittingly made the subjects of an elaborate bet by two wealthy brothers who want to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped. As the men navigate their new realities, they must contend with the challenges of their respective social strata while the original circumstances of the bet remain hidden from them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke, owners of a commodities brokerage in Philadelphia, witness an encounter between their managing director, Louis Winthorpe III, and a street hustler, Billy Ray Valentine. The Dukes make a wager to swap the lives of the two men to see how they adapt to different social strata. Winthorpe is framed as a criminal and loses his status, while Valentine is installed in Winthorpe's position and begins to succeed. During the firm's Christmas party, Winthorpe attempts to frame Valentine, but the two eventually learn of the Dukes' wager. They team up to foil the Dukes' plan to corner the market on frozen concentrated orange juice. On New Year's Eve, they successfully trick the Dukes into a massive financial loss while they secure a large profit. The film ends with the two men, along with Winthorpe's butler and a prostitute, becoming wealthy and vacationing together, while the Duke brothers are left bankrupt.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Landis
- Writers
- Timothy Harris · writer; Herschel Weingrod · writer
- Cast and characters
- Dan Aykroyd · Louis Winthorpe III; Eddie Murphy · Billy Ray Valentine; Ralph Bellamy · Randolph Duke; Don Ameche · Mortimer Duke; Denholm Elliott · Coleman; Jamie Lee Curtis · Ophelia
- Genres
- comedy; satire
- Themes
- nature vs nurture; social class; greed; economic inequality
- Tone and mood
- comedy; satire
- Premise and plot tags
- swapped lives; holiday; financial market
- Content notes
- racial jokes; language
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the cast and its revival of the screwball comedy genre. It was considered a box-office success and is often cited as one of the best comedy and Christmas films ever made.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled 'Black and White'.; The score uses Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' as an underlying theme.; The film was referenced in U.S. Congressional testimony regarding the reform of the commodities trading market.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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