Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. Starring 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 subjects of an elaborate bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped.
Theatrical release poster
Dan Aykroyd pictured in 1982. Paramount Pictures saw Aykroyd's success as tied to his partnership with the late John Belushi, and did not want to cast him, but his previous work with director John Landis helped him to secure the role.
The Curtis Institute of Music pictured in 2010. The building was used as the exterior of the Heritage Club where Winthorpe and Valentine first meet.
Jamie Lee Curtis pictured in 1989. She was dismissed as only a horror film star before her critically well-received breakthrough performance in Trading Places.
John David Landis is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) – and for directing Michael Jackson's music videos for "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).
Landis at the 2022 Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Italy
