Starring
Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Jamie Lee
Curtis, Denholm Elliott, Paul Gleason, Kristin Holby. Directed by
John Landis. (1983/116 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Stinky the Destroyerđ¸
Remember
when Eddie Murphy was the biggest movie star in the world? It's hard
to believe that was three decades ago.
You
know what else is hard to believe? That he pretty-much reached that
status with only three movies: 48HRS, Trading Places
and Beverly Hills Cop, the last of which made Eddie Murphy a
brand name and a license to print money. For awhile, anyway.
Those
three films shaped his image, defined his career and will ultimately
be his legacy (though some fans might throw-in Coming to America).
His brand of brash humor and congenial cockiness were never fresher
or funnier than they were here. While 48HRS is arguably his best
and Beverly Hills Cop is by-far his biggest, Trading Places
might be the most timeless. Watching it today, it doesn't look or feel like
a high-concept product of its time.
 |
| The Nugent Family Christmas. |
In
fact, if you were to take away the foul language, drug references and
nudity, Trading Places is a Capraesque comedy in the classic
tradition...with smart writing, rich characters and subtle commentary
on class division. And while it helped make Murphy a star, he's just
one component that makes it work so well. We tend to forget that Dan
Aykroyd was every-bit as a talented, but whose performances were
always more character-based. The divergent styles they bring to their
roles provide not only much of the humor, but establish the tone of
the entire film.
Like
Murphy and Aykroyd, director John Landis has made funnier movies, but
along with An American Werewolf in London, Trading Places
is his most narratively cohesive, with the best cast he's ever worked
with (and kudos for having the foresight to cast Ralph Bellamy and
Don Ameche completely against type). I would even argue that Trading
Places remains his last great film, certainly one of the few
that plays as well today as it did 35 years ago.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
NOTE:
Aside from a digital copy, this 35th Anniversary Edition includes the
exact same bonus features as previous editions.
FEATURETTES
- "Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places"; "Trading
Stories"; "Dressing the Part"; "The Trade in
Trading Places."
DELETED
SCENE
INDUSTRY
PROMOTIONAL PIECE - Made at the time of release, featuring Aykroyd &
Murphy.
TRIVIA
POP-UPS - Select this option for bits of info that appear throughout
the movie (I wish movie discs would feature this option).
DIGITAL COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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