Customer Reviews

Trading Places

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This review refers to the Widescreen Collection/DVD edtion(Paramount)of "Trading Places"....

If you have already seen this fabulously fun film, then you know the scene I am referring to in my title of this review.It is just one of the many, many laugh out loud moments that Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd and the rest of the brillant cast treat us to. If you haven't seen it and you like to laugh..this is a must see, one that will brighten your holdiays and leave you grinning ear to ear whenever you think of it.

The very wealthy brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke portrayed by legends Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, are sitting around their exclusive club having a little tiff on the theory of Heredity vs. Enviroment. After bestowing a very generous Christmas bonus of five dollars to the man who sees to their needs year round, they make a little wager. The bet...take their most trusted employee(Aykroyd), and play with his life until he becomes an outcast. Take a street-wise con-artist(Murphy),and give him a taste of the good life. Who will prevail? Will the Harvard grad, still be the person he was, after losing everything, or will he turn to crime? And what about the con man? Will his new enviroment make a new man out of him or will he still resort to his old ways? Watching these two "Trading Places" is one of the most fun 2 hours you can spend. The story takes place between Christmas and New Years so it's a great Holdiay film to add to your collection as well.

The cast is marvelous.Dan Aykroyd is the perfect snob, and Eddie Murphy, well he's just great at being Eddie Murphy. Jaime Lee Curits is the hooker with a heart(who's looking to increase her bank account and get off her back),Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy show they haven't lost what it took to become the legends they are, and Denholm Elliot is perfectly cast as the butler in on the action. Adding to the fun are Bo Didley,Paul Gleason, Frank Oz and James Belushi. Directing this wonderful cast is John Landis, who doesn't miss a trick and the music by Elmer Bernstein sets the tone perfectly as usual.The movie is rated R for some some scenes of nudity(do we expect any less from Jaime Lee?).

The DVD is a great buy. The anamorphic widescreen picture is gorgeous. Clear and bright with beautiful colors, the film does not appear to be 20 years old already. You have the choice of Dolby Dig 5.1 surround sound or stereo surround sound, both are excellent. There are English subtitles and it may be viewed in French(mono). There are no special feautres though.

So how much was the wager they made? A whooping one dollar! Who wins?.....I'll never tell!

Seen it?..you know you gotta have it!...Haven't seen it?....Go for it!...You'll love it!...enjoy....Laurie

more fun stuff:
Jimmy Hollywood [VHS]
Diamonds
Goin' South [VHS]
(see my reviews for film details)

As others have mentioned this DVD is a "bare bones" one with no extra features. For those used to seeing it on TV, though, seeing the original R rated version will let you in on how much was edited for TV.

The shocking part is that this DVD is MISSING a scene always shown on television. When Winthorp (Akroyd) walks into the Duke & Duke offices, everyone tells him good morning, greeting him by name, and he barely manages a response. That's in there. Then later, when Valentine (Murphy) walks into the Duke & Duke offices, everyone ALSO greets him by name, and he enthusiastically greets them in return, (before getting into the elevator). In the DVD, THIS SCENE IS MISSING!

So, this isn't just a bare bones DVD, in one instance you actually end up getting LESS than you normally see on TV! I'm baffled by this...

But, obviously, this is a classic comedy, worth owning. Too bad they don't offer a beefier DVD.

Came out in 1983, I bought this movie on VHS, DVD, and now Blu-Ray. I have never seen it look this good. Bright ole 80's fashion colors don't bleed anymore. This precious baby is totally remastered. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd at their prime. Paramount finally gave this absolute classic the hi-def 1080p treatment. I'm glad that I am old enough to still enjoy 80's humor. If you're a fan of Trading Places, definitely pick this up in blu-ray, you won't regret it.

This review is for the Blu-Ray release of the 1983 comedy classic "Trading Places." If you have not seen this movie yet then you really are missing out and what better way to experience this movie than in 1080p high definition.
I already owned the bare bones DVD release, but did not hesitate to order the Blu-Ray release. The quality is truly incredible with a level of detail that simply blows me awaqy and none of the grain or softness that plagues the inferior DVD version.
Plus we are treated to a wealth of special features to help sweeten the deal. The main special feature is the retrospective featurette "Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places" which runs at 18:28 and includes on-camera interviews with Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd and Director John Landis. Tne featurette covers the genesis of the story and the preproduction details (Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were originally slated to star) and how the success of "48 Hrs" brought Murphy to the attention of the producing team.
Serving as a counterpoint is the second featurette "Trading Stories" which runs at 7:59. The same people are interviewed on camera as in the first docimentary however in this instance they are all from 1983 as they publicize the movies release.
There is one deleted scene running over a minute with an introduction and optional commentary by Executive Producer George Folsey Jr. It details the theft of the crop report by Clarence Beeks and was essentially dropped for pacing reasons.
Next up is "Dressing the Part" which runs at 6:31 and has as its main contributor Costume Designer Deborah Nadoolman. She says that the outfit she is most proud of is the red hooded sweatshirt worn by Eddie Murphy in his first scene. She had Murphy in the bright red outfit and everyone else in shades of gray so as to ensure that Murphy drew the focus of attention.
Since a large portion of the movie deals with the commodities trade the Blu-Ray also includes "The Trade in Trading Places" which includes discussion on the commodities exchange and how it works and runs at 5:25.
Perhaps the most quirky special feature is an improvised promo piece for the movie that apparently has spent the last 20+ years sitting in John Landis' garage. It features Aykroyd and Murphy winging it for 4 minutes and it is a riot once they get going.
The one feature this Blu-Ray release is missing is an commentary but the movie does have a Trivia Pop-Up feature. Throughout the movie sometimes interesting, but ultimately useless trivia appears on panels on screen mocked up as (what else) $1 bills.
All in all this is an extremely entertaining way to spend a couple of hours and this Blu-Ray release does the movie proud.

Unfortunately we can't rate the movie and the DVD realization separately in the number of stars we give. So we have to do it in the rating.

DVD realization: Too darn expensive for what you get compared to the VHS version. Wait until the price goes down, or buy the VHS version and wait for the DVD to come down in price. The price versus benefit of the DVD over the VHS gets -1 star...yes, negative stars.

The Movie: All right, maybe not five stars, but as a comedy this movie is absolutely wonderful. I like comedies that make you think, and this one does. Filled with irony from the beginning to end, the humor substantially comes from irony. The movie makes fun of people in high places who, according to this movie, do not think like you and I and clearly have nothing better to do with their time than to manipulate people.

The Story: Dan Aykroyd is an executive in a New York investment firm. Clearly intelligent and well-bred, he lives a life style that most of us don't even dream about. Butler, very expensive home and suits, this guy is living a very high life. Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche are two brothers who own the investment firm. One day they see Eddie Murphy in front of skyscraper that houses their offices. After discussing the opportunities that people get in life, Ralph Bellamy bets Don Ameche that given the right circumstances that Eddie Murphy could have been Dan Aykroyd. What follows actually makes you feel sympathetic for Dan Aykroyd, even though he is clearly a snob.

Dan Aykroyd is set up and arrested, fired from his job, and kicked out of his house, He is completely cut off from the life he knows. Eddie Murphy is put into Dan Aykroyd's job and house. Poor Dan really hits a low until Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a prostitute, takes pity on him and takes him in.

Fortunately for Dan, Eddie Murphy overhears Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche discussing the bet they made in the executive potty, and also using words that are less than flattering. Eddie realizes that he and Dan have been set up, and goes seeking Dan since Eddie does not plan on being manipulated by these two.

From this point on, the movie gets really good. Dan, Eddie, Jamie, and Denholm Elliott, Eddie's butler, decide to get revenge on Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche. Only minimal details from here on out in case you haven't seen the movie yet. The revenge plot is well set up and executed, all leading to a really uplifting scene in the commodities portion of the New York Stock Exchange.

The movie is generally predictable, but it is the how of the predictability that I was unable to foresee. People who are in the commodities business will probably scoff at some of the details, but for those of us who are ignorant of commodities, that part is funny and upbeat.

This early Eddie Murphy movie is well-done. Eddie generally stays away from the four-letter words he seems to use so much in some of his newer movies. Dan Aykroyd plays a character that at first you revile, and then want to like. I'll let you discover how Dan's character evolves.

This movie has a fair amount of intelligent humor. It relies very little on slapstick. It is one of my favorite comedies that I never seem to get tired of watching.

I was a little concerned with other reviews that said they had ordered this DVD (not Blu-Ray) and gotten the "Bare Bones" version with no special features - I already had that version and I wanted to upgrade. I was SO happy that when this arrived it was indeed the version with special features - the "Looking Good - Feeling Good" edition. I just wanted to write a quick blurb for future buyers. Yay! :)

I was pleasantly surprissed how good this looked on Blu-Ray. Sometimes the "older" movies don't measure up, but this looks sharp and is impressive.

The story is still very entertaining, even if it has the stereotypical characters Hollywood likes to present, such as (1) the hooker who is beautiful and has a kind loving heart; (2) the black guy who, despite no training, all of a sudden is smarter than all the white guys in the financial world; (3) all rich people are snooty while the lower class are nice and good-hearted and, (4) several cheap shots at Christianity.

Despite all the baloney above, this was an extremely entertaining and funny movie, start to finish. All the actors in here are fun to watch and there are a number of laugh-out-loud scenes. Of course, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, that's not surprising. Murphy gets the bulk of the laughs. It's really his movie. For the guys, however, Jamie Lee Curtis is one to remember here.

FANTASTIC movie. Since DVD was born this was one of those movies I waited and craved for. Then when the 2 disc spectacular dvds starting appearing I had my fingers crossed that this would be one. BUT of course not its Paramount. There are extras for this DVD. Memories of a Making of on TV. It wouldn't hurt to get a trailer on now would it! We know John Landis aint doing much nowadays so he could've done a commentary.

I'll bite my lip and buy this bog-standard vesion and then hope in a few more years a proper special edition comes out it's only what the film deserves!

This is one of the movies that made Eddie the legend that he is. If you consider yourself an Eddie fan and have never seen this movie, then this is a must. You've got an all star cast and a John Hughes-esque direction that can't be beat. Forget about the crap that Eddie has made over his middle years... this stands at the top. I've seen this film so many times over the years and I can pop it in whenever I need a laugh and it still does the trick!

Not many movies make it into my private collection, but I just couldn't resist with this one. Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd make an amazing team.

I am all for a digital re-make of this great movie. Watch it, rent-it, buy-it, or steal-it.

Either way I promise you wont be disappointed.