Back when the buddy comedy was still a novel idea and had not yet become the diluted cliché that it has come in recent years due to a plethora of mediocre attempts, none was more successful or brought together two opposing dynamic talents as well as Trading Places, the 1983 John Landis directed feature that has its story origins back in the old tale of "The Prince and the Pauper".
The movie stars Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters) and Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) as complete opposites that become embroiled in a social experiment hatched between two financier brothers, the Dukes. Aykroyd plays Louis Winthorpe (who manages the fund for the Dukes), a well bred successful businessman with everything going his way. Murphy plays Billy Ray Valentine, a down on his luck character with few prospects. The Dukes want to find out if personality and success is a matter of upbringing or environment and decide to swap Winthrope's and Valentine's lives. Hilarity ensues, but eventually the pair realizes what is happening and decide to try to pay the Dukes back. Tagging along are Winthorpe's turned Valentine's butler, and a prostitute (played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis) who helps Winthorpe as his own life spins out of control.
Having been made in 1983 the movie does look a bit old, but isn't entirely outdated. A good portion of the film does not rely on technology so while there are old computers the plot of the film isn't derailed by a lack of cell phones or something similar. As basic as it might sound, touches like this are what help keep older films relevant in our more modern techno-centric age.
Despite its age the film will always have relevance simply because there will always be greedy people in the world of finance looking to get ahead by any means necessary (as recent events continue to show us). However, unlike recent affairs like Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Trading Places was never made as a serious effort in trying to unearth the unscrupulous nature of certain financiers. This is pure comedy at its core with both Murphy and Aykroyd at their peak. Throw in director John Landis, who had previously worked with Aykroyd on The Blues Brothers film, and who has his own penchant for comedy; and you end up with one of the best buddy comedies ever made.
One portion of the film that might feel outdated or evenly slightly offensive to viewers is some of the language and sentiments that are expressed regarding race. More than once the term "negro" appears. While it appears that the use of the word is meant in situations to show the ignorance of a character, it still might be off putting to those that don't know it is coming. This is not pervasive in the film, but does crop up in a few instances.
Trading Places: Looking Good Feeling Good Edition is a terrific upgrade from previous releases of the film that were relatively bare bones. While not a visual improvement along the lines of a Blu-ray release, the movie still has plenty of laughs and charm over 25 years later.
DVD Bonus Features
This new edition of the film contains a wealth of special features. Aside from the standard deleted scenes, there is a trivia track that can be enabled which will pop up with a smattering of information throughout the film. Little nuggets of trivia about locations, production, or particular set elements. Nothing Earth shattering, but it is a fun way to watch the film especially after multiple viewings. Additionally there are a large number of featurettes that involve some of the promotion that went into the original release of the film as well as a making of feature. There is no full length commentary with the film, but the features all do a well enough job of giving us a pretty good view of how the film came together. There is even a short feature detailing more about the business aspects of the film and how the type of trading depicted works in the real world. A nice inclusion as for the most part, the nuts and bolts of commodities trading are glossed over in the movie.
"Trading Places: Looking Good Feeling Good Edition" is on sale June 5, 2007 and is rated R. Comedy. Directed by John Landis. Written by Timothy Harris. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy.
