Trading Places (1983)

reviewed by
Mike Borzumate



A film review by Mike Borzumate , copyright 1997

For details of my reviewing style, please see the note at the end of the review.


                             TRADING PLACES

Rating: 7.5 and $8.00 Plot teaser: Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) is rich and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) is poor. For now.

I think I first saw this movie on TV so many years ago I can't recall exactly when. It's great. I liked it so much I bought it from a video store that was going out of business around here.

The strength of this movie is its plot, as strange as that might sound these days. Some very important issues are tackled, but in an enjoyable and entertaining fashion.

All the acting is superb. I can't think of anyone who gave even a mediocre performance. You can tell everyone had fun making this movie and yet took their roles seriously.

The big players are fine. Aykroyd, Murphy, and Jamie Lee Curtis play their characters well. Their transformations are believable and convincing. Why don't actors always take their jobs this seriously anymore?

Even the secondary characters are excellent. The butler Coleman (Denholm Elliott) is dryly humorous. The dude who says "yeah" (James D. Taylor?) cracks me up.

A lot of the filming was done "on location" in the streets of Philadelphia. That gives the movie much more believability and depth.

The plot covers lots of the classic issues: racism, poverty, class conflict... yet it doesn't take itself too seriously.

Rent this thoroughly enjoyable film. You can even rent it from Blockbu$ter. It's worth it!


My #1 rule in reviewing is: NO SPOILERS. Instead of discussing the plot, I choose instead to discuss performances, believability, entertainment value, etc. If you want the plot, see the movie.

I give two ratings: An arbitrary scale of enjoyability (1 to 10) and a maximum price I would pay to see the movie.



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