7.5/10
136,345
206 user 96 critic

Trading Places (1983)

R | | Comedy | 8 June 1983 (USA)
Trading Places Poster
Trailer
1:05 | Trailer
A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy | See full cast & crew »
69
Reviews
Popularity
460 ( 245)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 5 videos  »

Photos

See all 226 photos »
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denholm Elliott ... Coleman
Dan Aykroyd ... Louis Winthorpe III
Maurice Woods Maurice Woods ... Duke & Duke Employee
Richard D. Fisher Jr. Richard D. Fisher Jr. ... Duke & Duke Employee
Jim Gallagher Jim Gallagher ... Duke & Duke Employee
Anthony DiSabatino Anthony DiSabatino ... Duke & Duke Employee
Bonnie Behrend Bonnie Behrend ... Duke & Duke Employee
Sunnie Merrill Sunnie Merrill ... Duke & Duke Employee
James Newell James Newell ... Duke & Duke Employee (as Jim Newell)
Mary St. John Mary St. John ... Duke & Duke Employee
Bonnie Tremena Bonnie Tremena ... Duke & Duke Employee
David Schwartz David Schwartz ... Duke & Duke Employee
Ralph Bellamy ... Randolph Duke
Don Ameche ... Mortimer Duke
Tom Degidon Tom Degidon ... Duke Domestic
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Louis Winthorpe is a businessman who works for commodities brokerage firm of Duke and Duke owned by the brothers Mortimer and Randolph Duke. Now they bicker over the most trivial of matters and what they are bickering about is whether it's a person's environment or heredity that determines how well they will do in life. When Winthorpe bumps into Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler and assumes he is trying to rob him, he has him arrested. Upon seeing how different the two men are, the brothers decide to make a wager as to what would happen if Winthorpe loses his job, his home and is shunned by everyone he knows and if Valentine was given Winthorpe's job. So they proceed to have Winthorpe arrested and to be placed in a compromising position in front of his girlfriend. So all he has to rely on is the hooker who was hired to ruin him. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

role reversal | bare breasts | class differences | suicide attempt | scam | See All (170) »

Taglines:

Some very funny business. See more »

Genres:

Comedy

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the portraits in the Heritage Club seen as Winthrope is being led out by security is J P Morgan identifiable by his large nose caused by a chronic skin disease called rosacea. See more »

Goofs

When Louis is walking past the restaurant in the rain, the scene switches to him a number of times and you can hear the hard rain falling. The first time the camera shows a close up of Louis however, the camera is still inside the restaurant yet the sound of rain falling is heard, drowning out the crowd noises in the restaurant that are heard continuously (other than when Valentine is making his prediction about the Russian wheat crop) when the camera is inside. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Coleman: [holding a breakfast tray while Louis is still asleep] Your breakfast, sir.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The names of the major actors/actresses are shown superimposed on short clips from the film. The clips showing Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy and Jamie-Lee Curtis respectively are obvious outtakes as they all crack up and burst into smiles and/or laughter. See more »

Alternate Versions

There was a scene in the movie that was not included in the final cut, but can only be seen when the movie is shown on television (presumably to fill a longer time slot with commercials). This "TV-only" scene occurs after Clarence Beeks talks to the Dukes via telephone and Billy Ray eavesdrops on their scheme. In the original cut, he goes from the phone booth to the Amtrak train platform, holding the briefcase with the crop report. Yet in this added scene, we see Beeks go and procure the reports from a secured vault where he drugs a security guard and uses the guard's keys to open a safe-deposit box. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Don Ameche/America Morris (1986) See more »

Soundtracks

Pomp and Circumstance March op.39 No.1
(uncredited)
by Edward Elgar
See more »

User Reviews

 
Mother always said you were greedy
2 November 2014 | by lastliberal-853-253708 – See all my reviews

John Landis has directed a brilliant original screenplay by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod.

Eddie Murphy is absolutely hilarious as a street hustler that was placed in the world of options trading by a couple of old farts who just like to bet with each other.

Of course on the opposite side, the real options trader, Dan Aykroyd, is dumped on the street.

Coming to save the day is Jamie Lee Curtis, who is funny and hot as a prostitute who feels sorry for Winthorpe (Ackroyd).

Denholm Elliott is positively lovable as the butler. Don Ameche and Ralph Bellemy play the betting Duke brothers.

SKIN-TASTIC Moment: In front of a mirror (and Dan Aykroyd) hooker- with-a-chest-of-gold Jamie Lee doffs her top and lets loose her magnificent money-markers in one of history's all-time hottest topless scenes.
26 of 31 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 206 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do Ophelia and Coleman have to give their life savings to Billy Ray and Winthorpe? They already have a briefcase full of cash.
Q: How was the Duke brother's plan to corner the orange juice market supposed to work?
Q: How much did Billy Ray and Louis make in their scheme?
See more »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 1983 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Black or White See more »

Filming Locations:

The New York Chamber of Commerce Building - The Great Hall, 65 Liberty Street, New York City, New York, USA See more »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,348,200, 12 June 1983

Gross USA:

$90,404,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$90,404,800
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Group Ventures, Paramount Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page



Clear your history

Recently Viewed