Curator Watchlist
A sharp, very rewatchable 80s comedy that blends broad farce with pointed class and race satire. It’s funniest when it leans into Eddie Murphy’s charisma and the sheer absurdity of the premise, even if some of the humor and social attitudes are dated.
Where to watch: Buy
Tue · 1h 56m
Director: John Landis
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
John Landis
Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy
A sharp, very rewatchable 80s comedy that blends broad farce with pointed class and race satire. It’s funniest when it leans into Eddie Murphy’s charisma and the sheer absurdity of the premise, even if some of the humor and social attitudes are dated.
Trading Places is one of those big studio comedies that still feels alive because it has a real engine: a cruel social experiment, a great comic duo, and a city-sized sense of hustle. The movie keeps finding new ways to turn status into spectacle, whether it’s the boardroom, the brokerage floor, or the humiliation of being dropped into someone else’s life.
What makes it endure is the balance between slapstick and social bite. Eddie Murphy is electric, Dan Aykroyd is gloriously unraveling, and the film knows how to turn a simple reversal premise into a cascade of set pieces. It’s also very much a product of its era, which means some jokes land with a thud now, but the movie’s appetite for class critique is stronger than its reputation suggests.
If you want an 80s comedy that’s both crowd-pleasing and a little venomous, this is a prime example. It’s messy, fast, and often very funny, with enough bite to explain why it’s still discussed as more than just a holiday rerun.
lauren (5★) · 2408 likes
I’ve seen this film about 50 times and I still don’t understand how the trading pit works
Sean Fennessey (4.5★) · 1953 likes
**Eddie Murphy looks into camera as Mortimer explains that pork bellies are used to make bacon, which is found on a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich**
matt lynch (4.5★) · 1117 likes
"Here. One dollar." Class and race and gender and labor and no matter how many times I see this it's one of the greatest American comedies ever made.
Jamelle Bouie (4★) · 735 likes
probably the great american comedy about race and class and labor? there’s some problematic stuff in here of course but i actually don’t think it’s too bad all things considered.
demi adejuyigbe · 491 likes
Deeply, deeply mean-spirited and undercooked in a way that made me feel bad from its comically-evil set up until its unearned con of an ending. Merry Christmas!
A polished con-artist caper with similar pleasure in elaborate schemes, reversals, and watching the powerful get played.
Another star-driven comedy built on culture clash, status reversal, and a comic lead navigating wealth and identity.
A body-and-class swap comedy that turns social position into the joke while keeping a brisk mainstream rhythm.
For viewers who like transgressive, high-concept comedy that weaponizes greed and social embarrassment.
A sharp mainstream comedy about identity performance, workplace power, and the absurdity of social roles.
A more serious companion piece about money, status, and the moral rot of finance in the same era.
A crowd-pleasing 80s comedy about money as a social game, with escalating absurdity and class commentary.
A light crime-comedy with a fish-out-of-water lead and a playful take on status and imitation.
A classic American comedy of social ascent and humiliation, driven by a naive hero in a hostile world.
A wealthy-drunk comedy that pairs privilege satire with romantic charm and a strong sense of character.
A smart, accessible comedy about class mobility, ambition, and who gets to belong in elite spaces.
Another glossy 80s climb-from-the-bottom fantasy about reinvention inside corporate America.
class reversal, social satire, race and labor, wealth and privilege, identity swap, con artistry, capitalism, urban 1980s comedy
80s comedy, social satire, class conflict, race relations, con artists, fish-out-of-water, ensemble comedy, holiday setting, stock market, broad farce