Trading Places

Appeals to viewers who enjoy sharp social comedy, fish-out-of-water reversals, and irreverent clashes between privilege and streetwise ingenuity.

Tone

satirical, darkly comic, playful

Payoff

amusement, catharsis

Pacing

brisk

Intensity

moderate

Structure

linear

Themes

class inequality, social mobility, greed, identity, institutional hypocrisy

Setting

early 1980s, affluent urban financial district and city streets