Trading PlacesTo understand someone, you have to walk a mile in their shoes--an aphorism made literal for two denizens of Philadelphia. Trading Places is a comedy and social commentary about Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), two men from different walks of life whose lives are upended at the whims of the egocentric Duke brothers--Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche). The "Dukes" make a bet about whether swapping their positions in society will have an effect on their behavior; Louis and Billy Ray experience how the other half lives, whether they like it or not.
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Directed by John Landis, Trading Places finds humor--and heart--in the absurdity of people building their identity around their position in society. The film opens with a montage of the "City of Brotherly Love" and the disparity between the lives of wealthy men like Louis and the poor like Billy Ray, juxtaposing imagery of everyday workers opening up the fish markets with Louis's butler, Coleman (Denholm Elliott), pulping orange juice for his breakfast. Kids in the street play basketball with a hoop made from a milk crate while Louis's breakfast is served on a silver platter; afterwards, he contemplates the futures of pork bellies during his morning shave. Classical music is played for irony in Trading Places; "Pomp and Circumstance" becomes a refrain for the Duke brothers, like when they descend the stairs of their palatial estate with cold severity. Louis lives a pampered, insulated life, and does the real hard work at the stock exchange on behalf of the Dukes; yet his welfare is subject to their whims--as is his downfall and the advent of Billy Ray as his replacement. Despite being a soft and spoiled man-child, Louis is a victim of the Dukes before they even consider their sociological "wager". The Dukes are depicted as scions of capitalism through their unrelenting greed and avarice, luring even "good, hard-working" men like Louis into playing their game, indifferent to how it affects others. They commission a good-natured prostitute named Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) to pretend that Louis is her client after they previously set him up as a drug dealer. The Dukes claim that they have "always held a seat" on the New York Stock Exchange--depicted as nothing but a numbers game that reduces the importance of essential commodities into easy to manipulate abstractions; it's just another hustle for them. And the Dukes don't even play "fair"; they keep a private security specialist named Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) on their secret payroll, who carries out their nefarious chores. After Louis accuses Billy Ray of attempting to steal his briefcase, Randolph suggests that were the circumstances reversed, that they would act no differently from one another, regardless of race or social status. That they actually go through with manifesting this hypothetical sociological argument (commonly referred to as "nature versus nurture") reveals just how little they think of people--that they are interchangeable, like cogs in a machine.
Whether Louis and Billy Ray become different people is a complex theme to explore in what is superficially a comedy about two men thrust into unfamiliar circumstances, as well as how peoples' impressions of them change. Billy Ray is treated like a con man--despite it being true--who poses as a crippled and/or blind Vietnam War veteran, begging for change on the streets and harassing women passing by. Billy Ray is acutely aware of the realities of his situation, and dodges the police when he can, using humor to diffuse tension or sowing confusion with outrageous behavior when he cannot. Louis is an insecure person--obvious after his downfall, but noticeable in earlier moments. Consider when delivers the payroll accounts to the Dukes with an expectant look on his face--one that transforms into hurt after they fail to give him recognition for his work. When he walks into his office in the morning, he offers only empty "hellos" to passersby when they greet him, acting out the role of the invincible businessman rather than showing any humanity or humility. His fiancée, Penelope (Kristin Holby), is a vapid heiress, yet it still hurts Louis to discover that she never really trusted him; it takes Ophelia's unexpected generosity to help him understand that he lives in a world which runs on more than just dispassionate wealth. Louis's proverbial "Road to Damascus" comes after he has hit bottom--dressed in a Santa Claus suit, he tries to frame Billy Ray in the same way that he was framed. Billy Ray confirms his suspicions after overhearing a conversation between the Dukes that foreshadows his own eventual dethroning. Louis and Billy Ray leverage this insight to get revenge and to take back their lives from the grubby paws of the Dukes; they are even supported by former accomplices of the Dukes--Coleman and Ophelia--to serve poetic justice to the crooked tycoons.
Trading Places explores its story about social transplantation from an egalitarian point of view. The opening credits include statues of some of America's founding fathers as well as a statue of local sports legend, Rocky Balboa--an underdog representing rising to greatness from humble origins. Trading Places uses this backdrop to underscore the importance of treating our fellow humans with decency and equality. Louis comes from an elitist hegemony, comprised exclusively of rich, white men. The Dukes turn out to be racists--like when Mortimer describes Billy Ray as a "Negro" with a sharp note of derision in his voice--and essentially "buy" Billy Ray to work for them, despite showering him with riches to deceive him into believing otherwise. Even though Louis isn't openly hostile to Billy Ray on the grounds of his race, he unconsciously refers to him as a Negro after awakening from a near-death experience, revealing an inherent undercurrent of racism in his society. On the other hand, when Billy Ray is begging for change and is lifted off of the sidewalk by the doorman at the Dukes' private club, he retaliates by calling them "crackers". This "hatred" comes from playing the Dukes' game--or people like the Dukes in real life. People are made to be suspicious of others that are different than them, because keeping people afraid of the unknown is one of the tools that the power elite like the Dukes use to keep us in our corrals. This deliberate inflammation of social inequality is the lifeblood of sordid news tabloids, politicians, and captains of industry who exploit the media to diminish our sympathy for our fellow human beings. After Louis and Billy Ray discover this truth about the Dukes, whatever animosity they had for one another fades; they become as close as brothers--which is really how it should be for all of us.
Recommended for: Fans of a comedy that joins slapstick and screwball antics with deft social commentary. Released in 1983, Trading Places showcases the comedic talents of both Dan Akyroyd and Eddie Murphy, and plays out a bit like a modern day "A Christmas Carol" or "The Prince and the Pauper".
Whether Louis and Billy Ray become different people is a complex theme to explore in what is superficially a comedy about two men thrust into unfamiliar circumstances, as well as how peoples' impressions of them change. Billy Ray is treated like a con man--despite it being true--who poses as a crippled and/or blind Vietnam War veteran, begging for change on the streets and harassing women passing by. Billy Ray is acutely aware of the realities of his situation, and dodges the police when he can, using humor to diffuse tension or sowing confusion with outrageous behavior when he cannot. Louis is an insecure person--obvious after his downfall, but noticeable in earlier moments. Consider when delivers the payroll accounts to the Dukes with an expectant look on his face--one that transforms into hurt after they fail to give him recognition for his work. When he walks into his office in the morning, he offers only empty "hellos" to passersby when they greet him, acting out the role of the invincible businessman rather than showing any humanity or humility. His fiancée, Penelope (Kristin Holby), is a vapid heiress, yet it still hurts Louis to discover that she never really trusted him; it takes Ophelia's unexpected generosity to help him understand that he lives in a world which runs on more than just dispassionate wealth. Louis's proverbial "Road to Damascus" comes after he has hit bottom--dressed in a Santa Claus suit, he tries to frame Billy Ray in the same way that he was framed. Billy Ray confirms his suspicions after overhearing a conversation between the Dukes that foreshadows his own eventual dethroning. Louis and Billy Ray leverage this insight to get revenge and to take back their lives from the grubby paws of the Dukes; they are even supported by former accomplices of the Dukes--Coleman and Ophelia--to serve poetic justice to the crooked tycoons.
Trading Places explores its story about social transplantation from an egalitarian point of view. The opening credits include statues of some of America's founding fathers as well as a statue of local sports legend, Rocky Balboa--an underdog representing rising to greatness from humble origins. Trading Places uses this backdrop to underscore the importance of treating our fellow humans with decency and equality. Louis comes from an elitist hegemony, comprised exclusively of rich, white men. The Dukes turn out to be racists--like when Mortimer describes Billy Ray as a "Negro" with a sharp note of derision in his voice--and essentially "buy" Billy Ray to work for them, despite showering him with riches to deceive him into believing otherwise. Even though Louis isn't openly hostile to Billy Ray on the grounds of his race, he unconsciously refers to him as a Negro after awakening from a near-death experience, revealing an inherent undercurrent of racism in his society. On the other hand, when Billy Ray is begging for change and is lifted off of the sidewalk by the doorman at the Dukes' private club, he retaliates by calling them "crackers". This "hatred" comes from playing the Dukes' game--or people like the Dukes in real life. People are made to be suspicious of others that are different than them, because keeping people afraid of the unknown is one of the tools that the power elite like the Dukes use to keep us in our corrals. This deliberate inflammation of social inequality is the lifeblood of sordid news tabloids, politicians, and captains of industry who exploit the media to diminish our sympathy for our fellow human beings. After Louis and Billy Ray discover this truth about the Dukes, whatever animosity they had for one another fades; they become as close as brothers--which is really how it should be for all of us.
Recommended for: Fans of a comedy that joins slapstick and screwball antics with deft social commentary. Released in 1983, Trading Places showcases the comedic talents of both Dan Akyroyd and Eddie Murphy, and plays out a bit like a modern day "A Christmas Carol" or "The Prince and the Pauper".