4. Trading Places
Release Year: 1983
Written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod
Directed by John Landis
Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
Most people don’t really think of Trading Places as a Christmas movie, but the whole plot revolved around an incident that occurs at a Christmas Party and the film is set around the holidays, which adds some extra drama!
In the film, the Duke Brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche), two wealthy brokers, set up a social experiment that switches the lives of two people with opposite socioeconomic status. Those two people happen to be Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), a mid-level broker, and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a hustler and alleged criminal.
In 1984, Trading Places was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Comedy and Eddie Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical.
Like I mentioned, Trading Places isn’t exactly everyone’s first thought when they think of a Christmas movie. It’s really funny, though, and it will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit.