Trading Places with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy is a refreshing, although perhaps a little hopeful story of an old and storied company networking in a ridiculous and innovative way. It was a much needed opinion on the exclusivity of the business world based on the many issues of networking, Human Resources, profiling, racism, intolerance and prejudice. Eddie Murphy’s character was a symbol for an intelligent young man with a lot to offer but who grew up with little to no opportunity to put his potential to good use.

In the movie’s version of his character, as opposed to infinite real life examples, his character had several attributes that would have made it impossible for him to be a part of the specific company depicted in the film. Based on our introduction to the two old brothers running the company, one is very racist and supremacist, and the other less openly racist and much more open minded and hopeful. The subjects in the reading packet on much more modern business had elements of business demonstrated in the film, though, too. Explaining through visual aid the selling and buying process with gold, pigs and grains. Murphy’s adept labeling of the two brothers at bookies, and the regular progress checkups.

They trusted him and were many times rewarded for it. He predicted stock prices and saved and earned the company hundreds of thousands, not to mention his acclimation through adopting a more refined way of speaking that included no cussing and more old English, as opposed to his so called ‘ghetto’ speak, which in my opinion his acclimation had racist overtones but didn’t scream racist. Anyway, it was an example of his securing a part of the company. A young person of any background can learn a few valuable lessons from the movie, chiefly that you have what it takes.