Trading Places compare to Pryor / Wilder buddy movies

[horsemen4ever]

I heard the movie Trading Places was originally written with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in mind. Knowing that how does Trading Places compare to the Pryor and Wilder movies that actually happened. Is it as good as Stir Crazy or Silver Streak?

Well before I go into that, hard to imagine Pryor as Billy Ray Valentine. Billy Ray to me is this young guy that easily taken in by the Duke brothers, an older man like Pryor playing him, I don't know. Though I am sure he could have had just as much fun on the "it sound like you guys are a couple of bookies" scene.

Let's be real here, it is really just about the first two movies, the later two Pryor and Wilder movies are a mess.

[sfvega]

Honestly, as good as Eddie is in Trading Places, Pryor would have been even better. Now Wilder, probably worse for that part than Aykroyd. Aykroyd played pretentious well. You wanted to see him get knocked down a peg or 3 and in the end, he still isn't the person you're rooting for. Wilder is just so damn likable, he becomes the protagonist by defualt. It becomes a whole different movie.

[horsemen4ever]

Trading Places would have kept the tradition of Gene Wilder having a love interest, and Richard Pryor having zip. Heck in this movie he would have had two. Even the villain henchmen (Paul Gleason's character in case you forgot) had a love interest. But I do understand why, one there weren't that many leading ladies of color, and inter racial relationship were still taboo in those days.

[Mozenrath]

I am glad we got what we did. The film's success did a lot to help show Eddie's potential, and set him up with a frequent collaborator for a time in John Landis. Aykroyd was also someone that studios were nervous about, wondering if he had solo potential given Belushi was gone, and the film helped show Jamie Lee Curtis's potential, as well. Hell, if I recall, she even cut her hair short for the role, and it ended up being her signature look going forward. Hell, it even gave Don Ameche a second life, leading to him getting an Academy Award for Cocoon.

It's a classic in its own right, but it's almost worth talking about alone for how big of an impact it had on a lot of notable careers. I have no idea how much of that would have been the case had it been yet another Wilder/Pryor collaboration, and possibly subject to audience burnout. It's unlikely it'd have got the same kind of attention, even if the stars involved would have had more star power, something that'd quickly change.

[4TheGlory]

Slightly off topic, that movie gives a great look at the interior of the world trade center. Which makes it a bit spooky when you watch the scenes in the complex near the end of the film.