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Duke
brothers Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche) own Duke &
Duke, a successful commodities brokerage in Philadelphia. Holding opposing
views on nature versus nurture issue, 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.
Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd)
is their top trader and the poor street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine
(Eddie Murphy) are set to swap lives by the Dukes. 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. Valentine quickly becomes well versed in the
business and does very well.
During the firm's annual Christmas party,
Winthorpe is caught planting drugs in Valentine's desk as he mistakently
suspects that it was Valentine who framed him. After Winthorpe flees, Valentine
hides in a mens room stall to smoke a joint that he took from the drugs that he
was tossing into the garbage can. The Dukes enter the washroom and, unaware of
his presence, discuss in detail the outcome of their experiment and settle
their wager for $1. Valentine overhears this exchange and seeks out
Winthorpe. |
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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 businessman named 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 they realize that the Dukes are planning to obtain this report to corner
the market on orange juice. The group agrees to disrupt their plan as
revenge.
What happens next should be left to the viewer to see but it
makes for the best trading floor scene in any film as well as being beautifully
comic. |
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The gambling aspect
of this film is of no importance but it is scenic and portrays how things were
done at this time in history. Good atmospheric recall of traders in the early
1980s.
Its a really good film because of great performances by a great
cast and sweet finale. Comic Fun 9/10 |
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Director |
John
Landis |
Denholm Elliott |
Coleman |
Writing |
Timothy
Harris et al |
Dan
Aykroyd |
Louis
Winthorpe III |
Cinematography |
Robert
Paynter |
Eddie
Murphy |
Billy
Ray Valentine |
Producer |
George
Folsey Jr. et al |
Jamie
Lee Curtis |
Ophelia |
Editing |
Malcolm
Campbell |
James
Belushi |
Harvey |
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Email the
Editor |
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