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Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. It tells the story of an upper class commodities broker and a homeless street hustler whose lives cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate bet. The storyline has been commented upon as a modern take on Mark Twain's classic 19th century novel The Prince and the Pauper. Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott and Jamie Lee Curtis also star.The film was written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod and was produced by Aaron Russo. It was released to theaters in North America on June 8, 1983, where it was distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film earned over US$90 million during its theatrical run in the United States, finishing as the fourth highest earning film of the year and the second highest earning R-rated film of 1983.PlotDuke brothers Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche) own Duke & Duke, a successful commodities brokerage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Holding opposing views on the issue of nature versus nurture, they make a wager and agree to conduct an experiment switching the lives of two people at opposite sides of the social hierarchy and observing the results. They witness an encounter between their managing director—the well-mannered and educated Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), engaged to the Dukes' grand-niece Penelope (Kristin Holby)—and a poor street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy); Valentine is arrested at Winthorpe's insistence because of a suspected robbery attempt. The Dukes decide to use the two men for their experiment.Winthorpe is publicly framed as a thief and drugs are planted on him when he's arrested. He is fired from his job, his bank accounts are frozen and he is denied entry to the Duke-owned town-house where he resides. He befriends a prostitute named Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) who allows him to stay at her apartment on the condition of receiving a reward once he's reestablished in society. Winthorpe soon finds himself ostracized and abandoned by Penelope and his former friends. Meanwhile, claiming to operate an assistance program for the underprivileged, the Dukes bail Valentine out of jail, install him in Winthorpe's position at the company and give him use of Winthorpe's home. Valentine quickly becomes well-versed in the business and acts well-mannered, even applying his street smarts to the job.During the firm's Christmas party, Winthorpe is caught planting drugs in Valentine's desk. After Winthorpe flees, Valentine hides in a bathroom stall to smoke a joint he took from the desk. The Dukes enter the bathroom and, unaware of Valentine's presence, discuss in detail the outcome of their experiment and settle their wager for $1. Valentine overhears this exchange and seeks out Winthorpe.Winthorpe attempts suicide by overdosing on pills. Valentine, Ophelia and Winthorpe's former butler Coleman (Denholm Elliott) nurse him back to health and inform him of the Dukes' experiment. On television, they learn of a Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) transporting a secret report on orange crop forecasts. Winthorpe and Valentine recall large payments made to Beeks by Duke & Duke and realize that the Dukes are planning to obtain this report to corner the market on frozen orange juice. The group agrees to disrupt their plan as revenge.Learning of Beeks' travel plans, the four get aboard his train to switch the report in Beeks' possession with a forgery. Beeks uncovers their scheme and attempts to kill them. He fails and is subdued, and the group dress him in a gorilla costume and lock him in a cage with a real gorilla. The forgery is then delivered to the Dukes.On the commodities trading floor, the Dukes commit all their holdings to buying frozen orange-juice futures contracts; other traders follow their lead, driving the price up. Before the real crop report is made public, Valentine and Winthorpe sell futures heavily at the increased price. After the forecast that the orange crop will be normal, the price of orange-juice futures plummets. Valentine and Winthorpe cover their short sales, turning an enormous profit. The Dukes are ruined, being left owing hundreds of millions for futures now worth a fraction of what they contracted to pay. Valentine and Winthorpe explain to the Dukes that they made a wager on whether they could get rich while making the Dukes poor simultaneously. Valentine collects $1 from Winthorpe while Randolph collapses holding his chest and Mortimer shouts angrily at his brother about their failed plan.Beeks and the gorilla are last seen being loaded onto a ship headed to Africa, while Valentine, Winthorpe, Ophelia, and Coleman relax on a luxurious tropical beach.You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
I watched it again to day..... but sorry I can not see any link to MJ. Sure the jackson 5 is mentioned and so is randy jackson. there are people in this movie that was in some of mJ's music videos.. but then these where the IT people of the 80's.
Quote from: "Tink.I.Am"I watched it again to day..... but sorry I can not see any link to MJ. Sure the jackson 5 is mentioned and so is randy jackson. there are people in this movie that was in some of mJ's music videos.. but then these where the IT people of the 80's.Are you saying you watched the actual whole movie again today or short clips? Are the Jackson5 and Randy mentioned in the movie or my second clip about 911? Thanks for your response. Actually it was more the story-line that had been on my mind as a connection for some time.