Trading Places
Stream
Rent & Buy
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
What critics thought
Trading Places lands as a broadly enjoyable comedy with a sharp cast, but critics were divided over whether it earns its comparisons to the great screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s — some felt it captured that spirit, others argued it stripped the genre of its moral depth and settled for revenge fantasy over genuine social satire. Murphy and Aykroyd are almost universally praised, while Landis's direction and the film's third act sparked real disagreement.
“Preston Sturges might have made a movie like Trading Places – if he'd had a little less inspiration and a lot more money.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Accolades
Parents guide
- Violence
- mild
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- moderate
- Substances
- moderate
- Intensity
- mild
Genres
Comedy
Cast & Crew
John LandisDirector
Dan AykroydLouis Winthorpe III
Eddie MurphyBilly Ray Valentine
Ralph BellamyRandolph Duke
Don AmecheMortimer Duke
Denholm ElliottColeman
Jamie Lee CurtisOphelia
Paul GleasonClarence Beeks
Frank OzCorrupt Cop
Jim BelushiHarvey
Kristin HolbyPenelope Witherspoon
Alfred DrakePresident of Exchange
Bo DiddleyPawnbroker
Elmer BernsteinComposer
Wolfgang Amadeus MozartComposerTrading Places
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
What critics thought
Trading Places lands as a broadly enjoyable comedy with a sharp cast, but critics were divided over whether it earns its comparisons to the great screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s — some felt it captured that spirit, others argued it stripped the genre of its moral depth and settled for revenge fantasy over genuine social satire. Murphy and Aykroyd are almost universally praised, while Landis's direction and the film's third act sparked real disagreement.
“Preston Sturges might have made a movie like Trading Places – if he'd had a little less inspiration and a lot more money.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Accolades
Parents guide
- Violence
- mild
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- moderate
- Substances
- moderate
- Intensity
- mild
Genres
Comedy
Cast & Crew
John LandisDirectorDan AykroydLouis Winthorpe IIIEddie MurphyBilly Ray ValentineRalph BellamyRandolph DukeDon AmecheMortimer DukeDenholm ElliottColemanJamie Lee CurtisOpheliaPaul GleasonClarence BeeksFrank OzCorrupt CopJim BelushiHarveyKristin HolbyPenelope WitherspoonAlfred DrakePresident of ExchangeBo DiddleyPawnbrokerElmer BernsteinComposerWolfgang Amadeus MozartComposerStream
Rent & Buy