The 12 Days of Christmas- Day 10: 'Trading Places'

If you haven’t seen Trading Places I’m going to ask you to turn off your computer and immediately go to your nearest TV and start watching, it’s available on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, so assuming you have one of those services (if you’re reading this site I’d say that’s a certainty) it won’t cost you a dime. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in their prime, a young and gorgeous Jamie Lee Curtis and more classic 80s comedy moments than you can shake a stick at (where did that saying come from…like, who was shaking sticks at things in the first place? Is it a witch reference…like with a wand? Can you tell I’m somewhat ADD?). As a matter of fact, one could argue that Trading Places invented many of those 80s comedy tropes being as it came out relatively early in the decade, 1983. Today we know Eddie Murphy as the quintessential buddy comedy actor, this film gave him those roots. Sure, he had 48 Hrs. prior to this but really that movie was much more action and Nick Nolte is far from a comic counterbalance.

For the 3 of you who don’t know, Trading Places is about two guys who have their lives swapped by the old grumpy guys from The Muppet Showon a $1 bet. Ok, I made up the Muppet show bit but there’s no way that you can deny the similarities. Basically Dan Aykroyd plays Louis Winthorpee III, a spoiled yuppie and president of Duke & Duke, a stock trading firm. After literally running into homeless con man Bill Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) Winthorpe accuses Valentine of trying to steal his briefcase and has him arrested. Meanwhile the Duke Brothers place a $1 bet that if they make the two switch stations in life Winthorpe will turn to crime and Valentine will become a success, basically a nature vs. nurture scenario. The next thing you know the Duke’s are bailing Valentine out of jail and giving him Winthorpe’s job, home, and butler. Meanwhile they frame Winthorpe for stealing and plant drugs on him to have him arrested. In comes the prostiture with a heart of gold, Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) who sees Winthorpe as a good investment opportunity and agrees to help him get back his life if she pays him back plus interest.

Where do I start? Like I stated earlier this is Aykroyd and Murphy at their best. Watching Aykroyd play this snooty pampered rich boy is nothing short of perfect. Obviously the highlight of the funny is Eddie Murphy’s Billy Ray Valentine, look no further than the prison scene for proof of that. The glue of the film is the chemistry, not just between Aykroyd and Murphy, but also the group as a whole when you mix in Jamie Lee Curtis and Denholm Elliot who plays Coleman the butler. The funniest scene of the flick, in my opinon, is when all four of them are together on a train during New Year’s Eve in disguise.  Of the movies made by that 80’s comedy crew (Aykroyd, Murphy, Chevy Chase, etc) this one sits near the top, a lot of people would put Caddyshack in front of it, but not me.

So where’s the Christmas angle? All around my dear friend, all around. The movie takes place during the holiday season and really has the benefit of being the only film on our list to tackle both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The atmosphere of the film is drenched in yuletide trimmings, with one of the most memorable scenes having a drunk Winthorpe crashing the Duke & Duke Christmas party in a dirty Santa suit. This is another one of those films that has less to do with the sugary sweet Christmas spirit and more something to watch as a buffer between the more saccharine faire. As we talked about before with Lethal Weapon these buffer films are essential so you don’t get burned out too quickly but can still stay in the Christmas theme. 

I leave you with Billy Ray Valentine's Karate Man demonstration