The combined talent of Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy provide us with a terrific comedy that proves two big stars don't necessarily have to outshine each other to make the comedy work.
The story is recycled from the old Three Stooges shorts from the 1930s but with a unique twist. Using their resources, the Duke Brothers switch a prissy businessman (Aykroyd) and street hustler (Murphy) to see if it's heredity or environment that shapes a person's success.
The helmsman here is John Landis who had scored three years earlier with "The Blues Brother" also starring Dan Aykroyd and this follow-up film rivals that in terms of just how funny it really is. The cast is just fantastic (everyone from Denholm Elliot to Frank Oz to even Bo Diddly) and the production values are just exquisite. It has some raunchy humor which is a trademark of Landis's but it doesn't detract from the charm and wit this movie has.
Despite lagging slightly in the middle, "Trading Places" is funny, charming, very well-made and strangely timeless. I advise any Murphy or Aykroyd fan to see it.
The story is recycled from the old Three Stooges shorts from the 1930s but with a unique twist. Using their resources, the Duke Brothers switch a prissy businessman (Aykroyd) and street hustler (Murphy) to see if it's heredity or environment that shapes a person's success.
The helmsman here is John Landis who had scored three years earlier with "The Blues Brother" also starring Dan Aykroyd and this follow-up film rivals that in terms of just how funny it really is. The cast is just fantastic (everyone from Denholm Elliot to Frank Oz to even Bo Diddly) and the production values are just exquisite. It has some raunchy humor which is a trademark of Landis's but it doesn't detract from the charm and wit this movie has.
Despite lagging slightly in the middle, "Trading Places" is funny, charming, very well-made and strangely timeless. I advise any Murphy or Aykroyd fan to see it.