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“Trading Places”: Christmas Cheer in an Unusual Package

December 26th, 2007

My favorite Christmas movie, unlikely as it may be, is Trading Places. This 1983 comedy, masterfully directed by John Landis, may not be a traditional Christmas vehicle. But it’s set during the holidays, features at least one Santa (even if he is drunk, criminal, and suicidal), and carries an unmistakable–if deeply buried and rather subversive–Christmas message. In addition, it always cheers me up in the dark days of December because it’s simply one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.

In the first few minutes all the pieces of the story are put in place. Mortimer and Randolph Duke are two wealthy commodity brokers who decide to play games with the lives of two innocent people. Louis Winthorpe III (brilliantly played by Dan Akroyd) is a respectable, successful employee of the Dukes’ commodity brokerage firm. He lives in a mansion, has a butler and a beautiful fiancée, and is seemingly set for life. His counterpoint is provided by Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy, back when he was still funny), a street hustler who pretends to be a war veteran and who is arrested when he accidentally bumps into Winthorpe while begging for change.

Mortimer and Randolph Duke are in the middle of a nature versus nurture discussion: what makes a person successful, his upbringing or his inherent qualities? They decide to use Winthorpe and Valentine as their guinea pigs in an experiment. Their plan is to discredit the rich, successful Winthorpe by implying that he has stolen company money and even by placing drugs in his desk. He is thrown in jail and his bank accounts are frozen. When he is released, his fiancée Penelope is waiting for him, but before she can embrace him the Dukes have paid a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) to kiss him and beg him for more drugs. Now completely down and out, Winthorpe ends up taking refuge in the prostitute’s apartment.

Meanwhile, the Dukes have given Winthorpe’s job and mansion to former beggar Valentine. He’s gone from rags to riches, throwing wild parties for his friends, and succeeding at work by applying common sense to the commodities trading game. But when Winthorpe finds out why he lost his life of luxury, who stepped in his place, and who is to blame… things are about to change.

I don’t want to reveal the rest of the story because believe it or not this is only the set-up for a truly funny, though occasionally bittersweet, Christmas story. You can catch the movie on television (such as Comedy Central in the U.S.) during the Christmas season, but cable TV doesn’t do this masterpiece justice. To get the full experience, I recommend finding it on DVD. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Submitted by Stefan Raets. Stefan is a refugee from the corporate world. When he isn’t reading or writing, he’s probably feeding or diapering his newborn son.

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