Louis Winthorpe, a successful managing director of a brokerage firm, gets his life flipped upside-down after his bosses, the Duke brothers, make a bit that anyone could do his job, no matter their social status or background. In this case, they grab Billy Ray Valentine, a con man from the streets, and offer the title of managing director. Comedy ensues as Valentine rises up the ladder and Winthorpe is left with no home, money, or friends, except for a prostitute that is willing to help him get off of his feet in exchange for money. If the set-up to this film sounds a bit familiar, that's because it is a modern spin on the classic novel, "The Prince and the Pauper". The story works really well not only as a comedy, but as a nice little story about two men placed in different environments and catching on the shady practices of the ones responsible for their latest developments in life. This is not the funniest film in the genre as it doesn't use many one-liners compared to many other films, but the comedy is delivered extremely well from the set-ups of the narrative. We enjoy seeing Valentine living the good life and becoming more sophisticated, while Winthorpe starts to break down and become more savage. It doesn't make you laugh out loud all of the time, but it makes you chuckle throughout the film. The narrative is the biggest strength for this film as it delivers the laughs and an enjoyable story.
What really works in the film are the characters, who are really well-written and are very likeable, which is needed to make a memorable comedic piece. Dan Aykroyd is perfectly casted as Winthorpe, as he plays both a stuck-up jerk and a sympathetic loser. In the beginning, the audience hates Winthorpe for his condescending attitude and laugh at his just desserts. However, as he does get stripped away of all of his materials, we do feel bad for him as he does face reality and drops his temper and facade. It makes Winthorpe relatable and real as he does evolve as a character. Eddie Murphy as Valentine is very enjoyable onscreen. It's funny to see him go from a dirty-mouth talking conman to an uptight, well-mannered gentleman as the film goes on. While he does have his stand-out moments of comedy like his disguise on the train and the introduction to his character, Murphy is much more subdued in his performance compared to his later works. The side characters are also very enjoyable and likeable with the exceptions of the Duke brothers, since they are basically the antagonists who are just evil capitalists, although their performances are well done in their own right. Coleman, Winthorpe's butler, is a nice character who really does want to help out both protagonists as much as he can, even participating in the third act. Jamie Lee Curtis as Ophelia is also a fun, charismatic character, being supportive to Winthorpe as well as his unlikely love interest. Almost all of the cast manage to elevate this film with their performances, likeable personalities, and character growth.
John Landis does a great job directing as always. Landis is known for his comedic films that have a silly premise or tone present, but does keep the movies grounded at times and sort of makes them as if these stories happened in real life for instance. Same can be said for "Trading Places." With the exception of the train sequence with gorillas and racially insensitive disguises, the film does play itself out in a grounded feel that has an out-of-ordinary story. Landis's directing portrays Philadelphia as a dirty, grey city where the majority of citizens populating the streets are the working class, while the warm, elegant interiors of Duke & Duke, country club, and Winthorpe's mansion are occupied by wealthy executives and businessman, showing the divide between social classes in these scenes. The soundtrack has a variety of music from Christmas carols, Mozart, and pop songs, all used as they should in each scene they are implemented. I also think a comedy that uses the stock market as a centrepiece in the narrative is unique, due to the stock market being a complicated system for those who aren't familiar with it. The climax could be a bit hard to follow, since if you don't know how the stock market works, you won't follow how exactly Winthorpe and Valentine thwart the Dukes or how much money the duos make or lose. I don't see this as an issue though as the film does its best at trying to explain the stock market to audiences for them to follow the eventual payoffs used in the end of the film.
Overall, "Trading Places" is a perfect example of a comedy that holds strong with repeated viewings. An engaging narrative, likeable characters, well-written comedy, and Landis's directing makes this film stand out as a comedy that is hard to top. Perhaps a few jokes miss and some special ones aren't politically correct, but that's more of the product of the time and shouldn't be looked down upon because of it. Even after 30 years, this film has stood the test of time and remains one of the best comedies in the genre and in Landis's career.
Verdict: 9/10. It remains not only as a gem of comedy, but a gem that I'm glad that is included on my Blu-Ray collection. Watch it whenever you can, first viewing or not.
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