Trading Places (Paramount Presents Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Trading Places (Paramount Presents Blu-ray) review

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: December 1, 2020
Rating: R
Film: 4/5
 
Plot
When Mortimer and Randolph Duke get in an argument over Nature vs. Nurture, they decide to put their money where their mouth is.  Randolph is of the belief that given the right circumstances, even the most successful person put into a desperate situation will do whatever they must to survive.  Likewise, you can take someone from a poor upbringing and put them into circumstances that will allow them to excel.  In order to prove his point, the brothers take the president of their Company, Louis Winthorpe III, and create circumstances to have him Trade Places with Billy Ray Valentine, a local street hustler.
 
My Thoughts
It’s hard to believe that this film is over 35 years old.  But even with its age, it’s just as funny today as it was when I was 14 years old.  Murphy and Aykroyd both fill the shoes of their characters with the believability factor, and Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy make the perfect Duke Brothers.   Throw in a 25-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis, and you have a comedy classic on Blu-ray.
 
This is part of the Paramount Presents line and includes new packaging, although the disc is the same as the previous Blu-ray.
 
Video 3.5/5
 
Audio 2.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1)
 
Special Features:
 

• Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places
• Trading Stories
• The Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary
• The Trade in Trading Places
• Trivia Pop-Ups - $1 bills pop up throughout the movie with factoids. 
• Industry Promotional Piece
• Digital Copy

 

 
 
 
Conclusion
Although the presentation is nothing to write home about, the comedy is still funny today after all of these years. Granted things fall apart a bit in the third act, but that’s common for a lot of films in the genre. It’s fun to see Murphy so early in his career and how he improves as time goes on. Furthermore, Curtis is the cat’s meow in her heyday. Recommended for fans.
 

Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor 
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player 
 System Controller: URC MX-980M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 SubwooferJL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner