Trading Places
Trading Places Image
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Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

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  • Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy
  • Summary: Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy), a street con man and Louis Winthorpe III, a commodities broker (Aykroyd) agree to trade places after monied Mortimer Duke (Ameche) bets Billy Ray could pull in more money than Louis could on the streets.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    But what's most visible in the movie is the engaging acting. Murphy and Aykroyd are perfect foils for each other.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    80
    Saturday Night Live activist Murphy, capitalising on the promise he showed in "48 Hrs.," steals the show as the quick-witted Billy Ray Valentine in what is certainly more mainstream fare than the earlier SNL staffed capers.
  3. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    Directed by John Landis with a surprising amount of class, though he lets some of his old ''Animal House'' vulgarity slip ostentatiously into the action.
  4. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    30
    Director John Landis is so deficient in basic storytelling skills that he must spend hours explicating the most elementary plot points while and Murphy are sidelined.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. PatC.
    9
    The ease in which the hilarity oozes from this movie obscures its greater achievement, which is the deft way it presents its plot. It takes a broad spectrum of characters and plays them off each other in a merciless mix of outrageousness and serious restriant. This is textbook on how to tell a story. Top drawer comedy.… Expand
  2. Will
    3
    Many of the jokes fail and those that are funny are played out far too long. Nothing is done to make the "wrongfully accused" cliche more believable. There are a couple great scenes, and Aykroyd and Murphy both try hard, but their characters almost never interact with each other. Wasted potential.… Expand

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