Classics: A Review of Trading Places By Lauren Ennis

The new year is the perfect time to create a new you. For street hustler Billy Ray Valentine and wealthy stock broker Louis Winthorpe III this annual effort at reinvention is taken to a whole new level in 1983's Trading Places. This modern take on The Prince and the Pauper is a social satire of 80's America that continues to garner laughs and spark conversation today. Trade up this new year with Valentine and Winthorpe in Trading Places.

The story begins with Wall Street tycoons Randolph and Mortimer Duke engaging in a sibling rivalry. While debating the impact of nature versus nurture the bored brothers decide to implement a social experiment to test their theories. The concoct a plot to take two men from opposite ends of the social spectrum and switch their lives, placing a bet on whether or not the men will be fundamentally changed by their altered circumstances. Their unwitting test subjects are career criminal Billy Ray Valentine and the Dukes' firm's managing director, Louis Winthorpe III. Through a series of schemes the Dukes frame Winthorpe for drug dealing, theft, and soliciting a prostitute, effectively ending his personal and professional lives. Meanwhile, Valentine is installed in Winthorpe's home and job. The experiment follows the brothers' plan until Valentine overhears their scheming and realizes that they plan to return him to the slums when their wager is over. He then seeks out Winthorpe and the unlikely pair set out on an uproarious plan of their own to turn the tables on the Dukes and find their own piece of the American Dream along the way.

Trading Places combines 30's screwball comedy style antics with sharp social commentary to relate a madcap adventure that still packs a comedic punch forty years after its release. Through its depiction of Valentine's meteoric rise and Winthorpe's devastating fall the film explores the transactional nature of modern society and the ways in which we are shaped by our circumstances. In this way, the film casts a scrutinizing gaze upon society's obsession with wealth and status, which has become even more consuming in the social media era. The interactions between the characters also allows the film to examine the racial and class divisions of its time without resorting to stereotyping or lecturing. The film additionally subverts the expectations surrounding these social divisions by having the characters reach the realization that it is the machinations of elites like the Dukes that divides them far more than any individual differences. By having the disparate characters unite in their effort to reclaim control of their lives the film offers a message of camaraderie and personal empowerment that is desperately needed today. Even as it delves into weighty themes the film never loses sight of its role as a comedy, finding humor in the foibles of human nature and the absurdity of society. Start your new year with the smart set in Trading Places.

The film remains a comedy classic thanks to the brilliant work of its cast. Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche convey class and callousness in equal measure as the ruthless Randolph and Mortimer Duke. Kristin Holby personifies snobbishness as Winthorpe's frigid fiancée, Penelope. Paul Gleason oozes sleaze as corrupt security expert Clarence Beeks. Denholm Elliott infuses Winthorpe's butler, Coleman, with warmth and charm. Jamie Leigh Curtis proves that she is more than just another horror scream queen in her by turns sweet and sassy portrayal of prostitute Ophelia. Even surrounded by an exemplary supporting cast the film belongs to Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy as Winthorpe and Valentine. Aykroyd perfectly walks the line between tragedy and comedy in his at once haughty and heartbreaking turn as Winthorpe. Murphy turns in one of the best performances of his career in his hilarious depiction of street smart hustler turned sophisticate Valentine. 

At once a biting social satire of 80's America and a timeless comedy of mores and manners Trading Places has more than earned its place as a comedy classic. The script's blend of social commentary and slapstick ensures that it continues to offer laughs and lessons that resonate today. The charismatic performances of the cast carry the story with effortless charm. This new year raise your glass along with Winthorpe and Valentine in Trading Places.

Classics: A Review of All the Light We Cannot See By Lauren Ennis

How do you find your way through the deepest darkness? How do you hold onto your humanity in an inhumane world? These are the questions that lie at the heart of the 2023 Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See. Based off of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, the series follows a group of ordinary people struggling to hold onto a spark of humanity during the darkest days of World War II. The series is at once an epic tale of love, loss, courage, and redemption and an intimate exploration of the inner depths of the human heart that will satisfy readers and newcomers alike. As we continue through the dark days of winter cozy up with All the Light We Cannot See.

The story begins in 1944 Saint Malo France with young Marie-Laure Leblanc hiding in her uncle's house as she awaits the arrival of Allied troops. Blind since childhood, she is able to contribute to the French Resistance without drawing the suspicions of the occupying Nazis. Following in her uncle's footsteps she operates a radio broadcast through which she boosts local morale and transmits coded messages. Meanwhile, German orphan turned unwilling Wehrmacht radio operator Werner Pfennig arrives in the city with his regiment. Unbeknownst to Werner, it is Marie's illegal broadcast that he tunes into each night. When he is ordered to locate and execute whoever is responsible for the broadcast the two are set on a collision course that will put their loyalties, principals, and humanity to the ultimate test.

The series breathes fresh life into the war drama genre by dividing its focus between characters on both sides of the conflict. In this way, the series presents a more complex portrayal of the war than a simplistic battle of good versus evil. By relating one half of its story from the perspective of Marie, a blind teenager alone in occupied territory, the series offers a fresh take on the tired resistance trope and raises the dramatic stakes. Similarly, the focus upon reluctant soldier Werner lends a human face to real life events and highlights the plight of ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire of evil committed by their governments. The script blends war time drama with not one, but two, mysteries in a twisting tale that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats until its poignant finale. It may be a fight for love and glory, but All the Light We Cannot See is far from the same old story. For a classic war time drama with a twist tune in to All the Light We Cannot See.

The series transports viewers to the heart of war-torn Europe thanks to the stellar work of its cast. Lars Eidinger is a force of nature in his portrayal of sadistic Nazi officer Reinhold Von Rumpel's single-minded pursuit of Marie and the artifacts she is assigned to protect. Marion Bailey is a delight as Marie's feisty aunt, Madame Manec. Marc Ruffalo consistently balances quiet strength and whimsy, even as he struggles to balance a consistent accent. Hugh Laurie infuses Marie's traumatized uncle, Etienne, with a world-weariness, grit, and decency reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine. Even in the midst of apt supporting performances the series belongs to Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hoffman as Marie and Werner. Hoffman imbues Werner with an intelligence, sincerity, and charm that ensure audiences will see the man behind his uniform. Loberti expertly blends innocence, maturity, and strength in a portrayal of Marie that is nothing short of a revelation. Together, the pair make for compelling drama and convincing chemistry.

An epic drama with a beating heart, All the Light We Cannot See is a series that reminds us of the spark that makes us human. The by turns heart pounding and heart felt script brings the beloved novel to vibrant life. The performances infuse each of the characters with depth, complexity, and humanity. Join Marie and Werner on a journey into the darkest depths of the human heart and find All the Light We Cannot See.