Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis
and written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. It stars Dan
Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and
Jamie Lee Curtis. The film tells the story of an upper-class
commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a poor street hustler (Murphy) whose
lives cross when they are unwittingly made the subject of an elaborate
bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances
are swapped. Trading Places features Kristin Holby and Paul Gleason in
supporting roles.Harris conceived the outline for Trading Places in
the early 1980s after encountering two wealthy brothers who were
engaged in an ongoing rivalry with each other. He and his writing
partner Weingrod developed the idea as a project to star Richard Pryor
and Gene Wilder. When they were unable to participate, Landis cast
Aykroydâ€"with whom he had worked previouslyâ€"and a young but
increasingly popular Murphy in his second feature-film role. Landis
also cast Curtis, against the intent of the studio, Paramount
Pictures; she was famous mainly for her roles in horror films, which
were looked down upon at the time. Principal photography took place
from December 1982 to March 1983, entirely on location in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Elmer Bernstein scored
the film, using Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera buffa The Marriage of
Figaro as an underlying theme.Trading Places was considered a
box-office success on its release, earning over $90.4 million to
become the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1983 in North America. It
also received generally positive reviews. Reviewers were consistent in
their praise for the central cast, and they appreciated the film's
revival of the screwball comedy genre prevalent in the 1930s and
1940s. Criticism focused on the film lacking the same moral message of
the genre while promoting the accumulation of wealth. It received
multiple award nominations including an Academy Award for Bernstein's
score and won two BAFTA awards for Elliott and Curtis. The film
launched or revitalized the careers of its main cast, who each
appeared in several other films throughout the 1980s. In particular,
Murphy became one of the highest-paid and most sought after comedians
in Hollywood. Trading Places Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter