The summary says it all as far as I'm concerned, but IMDb demands more, so here goes...
The movie is very funny and was a welcome relief compared to some of the terrible films Eddie Murphy made early in his career (such as BEST DEFENSE)--ditto for Dan Aykroyd (NEIGHBORS). But in my opinion, the real stars in the films aren't the comedians, but the nasty old codgers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) who manipulate both Murphy and Aykroyd for their own petty amusement. They are just plain evil and awful and seeing them in action was quite a treat for these two aging actors.
The film is about trading places, as rich-guy Aykroyd is forced to live on the street and homeless guy Murphy is suddenly elevated to wealth and privilege. Along the way, there are lots of laughs and the script generally is very good, though occasionally the humor becomes painfully unfunny and stupid (such as the gorilla scene near the end). But overall, the laughs greatly outweigh the lulls, so it's a wonderful film if you need a chuckle.
The movie is very funny and was a welcome relief compared to some of the terrible films Eddie Murphy made early in his career (such as BEST DEFENSE)--ditto for Dan Aykroyd (NEIGHBORS). But in my opinion, the real stars in the films aren't the comedians, but the nasty old codgers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) who manipulate both Murphy and Aykroyd for their own petty amusement. They are just plain evil and awful and seeing them in action was quite a treat for these two aging actors.
The film is about trading places, as rich-guy Aykroyd is forced to live on the street and homeless guy Murphy is suddenly elevated to wealth and privilege. Along the way, there are lots of laughs and the script generally is very good, though occasionally the humor becomes painfully unfunny and stupid (such as the gorilla scene near the end). But overall, the laughs greatly outweigh the lulls, so it's a wonderful film if you need a chuckle.