Movie of the Week – Trading Places

This week’s movie: Trading Places (1983)

Two millionaire brothers make a bet for one dollar. The bet is if they reverse the positions of a street con artist and their trusted snobbish Wall Street investor, will the two men still be the same or do their surroundings define them. The two brothers carry out their bet, throwing Louis Winthorpe III into the streets, destitute, and giving everything to Billy Ray Valentine.

The film is directed by John Landis, who was maybe the best comedy director of the late 1970s and early 1980s (with films such as The Kentucky Friend Movie, Animal House, The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London, Spies Like Us, Three Amigos, and Coming to America; he also directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video). Landis worked with great composer Elmer Bernstein, cinematographer Robert Paynter, and production designer Gene Rudolf.

The film stars Eddie Murphy (in his prime, with films like 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop), Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis. There is also good supporting work from Denholm Elliott, Ralph Bellamy, and Don Ameche (plus a bunch of cameos, like Frank Oz and James Belushi).

Trading Places is one of the great comedies of the 1980s. It is hilarious and Murphy and Aykroyd are on the top of their game. Trading Places was very successful critically and commercially, inadvertently launching a ton of sort of similar body swap comedies: Like Father Like Son, Vice Versa, 18 Again!, Prelude to a Kiss, and the remake of Freaky Friday (the first remake) – among others. Okay, so maybe there is no direct correlation between Trading Places and this string of terrible, terrible body swap movies, but it is always fun to go down memory lane. Anyway, Trading Places is one of the decade’s best comedies but also has some interesting social comments. First, the film seems to take a firm stand against the Wall Street greed that ruled the times, portraying all the ‘rich’ characters as being awful, snobbish people who could not care less about the common man. And second, the bet is a fun play on the nature versus nurture argument, seemingly siding with nurture. Trading Places is a must-see for comedy fans and those looking to see the best films of Murphy and Aykroyd.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Movie of the Week – His Girl Friday

This week’s movie is His Girl Friday (1940).

The romantic comedy is about Hildy Johnson, a reporter who is giving it all up to get married and be a housewife. That is, until her ex-husband and boss Walter Burns comes up with a scheme to win her back both as a reporter and romantically. The film is one of the great screwball comedies by Howard Hawks (his best, though some might say Bringing Up Baby). Hawks worked with veterans of the genre cinematographer Joseph Walker and art director Lionel Banks, as well as stars Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy. The film has some of the best dialog of any film past or present, with Grant and Russell constantly one-upping and talking over each other (it was one of the first films to feature overlapping dialog, if not the first). What is incredible is that Walter Burns is a wholly unlikable character – utterly selfish in everything he does, and yet Grant plays him with such charm that the viewer wants to see him come out on top. It is one of the best romantic comedies of all-time, and a must-see for fans of the genre. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week – The Awful Truth

This week’s movie is The Awful Truth (1937).

The romantic comedy is about Jerry and Lucy Warriner, a married couple that get divorced after a series of compounding misunderstandings. And yet, they seem to still love each other as they sabotage each other’s attempts to move on romantically. The film is directed by Leo McCarey, who specialized in comedy coming out of the silent film era. Most of the scenes were improvised by the cast and director on the day, with only the general story arc being known. Before The Awful Truth, for which he won a Best Director Oscar, his best known film was The Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup. He also directed the classic romance drama An Affair to Remember (at the end of his career). McCarey worked with composer Ben Oakland, cinematographer Joseph Walker and art director Lionel Banks on the film. However, its great success is due to its wonderful leads: Irene Dunne and Cary Grant (who would again star together in My Favorite Wife – which is almost the same movie). Ralph Bellamy, Alexander D’Arcy, Cecil Cunningham, Molly Lamont, Ester Dale, and Joyce Compton feature in support. Interestingly, Cary Grant thought that the film was not working at all and wanted to be released from his contract – only for it to be one of his early hits, and help really launch his career as a leading man. The Awful Truth is also one of the early, and best, screwball comedies – many of the classic comedies from the 1930s and early 1940s are screwball comedies. This is a must-see for fans of screwball comedies and Cary Grant. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week – Rosemary’s Baby

This week’s movie is Rosemary’s Baby (1968).

The film is about a young couple who moves into an apartment building that has a history of strange occurrences. When the wife becomes pregnant, under mysterious circumstances, paranoia begins to rule her life over the safety of herself and her unborn baby. Writer-director Roman Polanski made his Hollywood debut (this being his first American film) with this film, working with famed low-budget horror producer William Castle, composer Krzysztof Komeda (one of his final films), cinematographer William Fraker, and wonderful production designer Richard Sylbert (who would collaborate again with Polanski on Chinatown). The film stars Mia Farrow (making her feature debut), and has a fantastic supporting cast with John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon (who won an Oscar for her performance), Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, and Charles Grodin. Rosemary’s Baby works on many levels – it is thrilling and scary, has a good mystery plot and features good dramatic performances. Polanski does an excellent job relating Rosemary to the viewer, so that the paranoia resonates within the viewer as well, making the viewer uneasy – this is a difficult film to watch, as the viewer actively participates in the terror (which can be overwhelming for some). Polanski’s shooting style, framing and mise en scene also play off the paranoia that Rosemary and the viewer are feeling. It is one of the great horror/thriller films of the 1960s (and of cinema in general) and a must-see for genre fans. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Streaming