A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 8 nominations total
James Newell
- Duke & Duke Employee
- (as Jim Newell)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRalph Bellamy (Randolph) and Don Ameche (Mortimer) make cameo appearances in Coming to America (1988) as the same characters; the two are now homeless, and Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) gives them a large amount of money to get them back off the streets.
- GoofsThe train leaving Washington, D.C. has a different style locomotive than the same train shown later in a pass-by shot.
- Crazy creditsJon Tenney is credited as "Big Black Guy" and James D. Turner as "Even Bigger Black Guy".
- Alternate versionsA scene that is available only in the television version is where Valentine first enters the Duke and Duke building. The cut version shows Coleman dropping off Valentine for his first day of work, then shows a smiling Valentine exiting an elevator and speaking to a receptionist. The uncut scene (television version) has Valentine entering the main hall of the building and going through a series of interactions with the same people that was nearly identical to the scene near the beginning when Winthorpe enters the building to go to work. This scene is one of the many ways of portraying contrasts in the movie; in this case "not knowing what to expect rookie" versus "veteran snob". This scene also shows why Valentine has a smile on his face as he exits the elevator and speaks confidently to the receptionist. Valentine surely was nervous before he entered the building talking to Coleman, but he gains confidence as he progresses down the main hall toward the elevator.
Featured review
A shocking tale of life in business
Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers) stars as Louis Winthorpe, a smart and rich businessman who gets his life turned around when he is kicked out of his house and is forced to live on the street, all because of 2 other businessmen who have placed a wager to see if a street thief would succeed in his place.
In this ambitious and dramatic tale, viewers are invited into the hard and cruel life of the business world and what goes on behind closed doors, and though unrealistic, is a tale of cunning and loyalty in a great comedy drama.
In his best ever role, Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) stars as street urchin Billy Ray Valentine, a cheeky and egotistical man who can't believe his luck when he is invited to work for the Dukes, the two businessmen who are scamming against him. Murphy excels in his own way, with that big smile and that own sophistication that he does so well, and the reason that this is his best ever role, is because as well as the comedy, there is a strong and determined belief about his character that is admirable and watchable and through his portrayal, we can see differences in the type of culture his character takes to.
Murphy is matched on every level by an excellent performance by Aykroyd whose life falls through our very eyes. The way his life can't seem to get any worse is one of the many reasons this film works so well.
These performances are matched with a gripping plot that sees viewers taken into the dark side of the business life, and through two evil and manipulative money driven owners, the Dukes. And the concept of money drives the film forward and the cruelty behind their bet is unbelievable and horrible to even think about, and is shown in such a dramatic fashion.
There is plenty of illegal activity, not to mention racial abuse and discrimination through the hierarchy that it is unthinkable that business was once like this.
Though I was completely lost during the final couple of scenes, this is a serious ideology encoded into a fairly humorous and dramatic film about the dealings and the life in business.
In this ambitious and dramatic tale, viewers are invited into the hard and cruel life of the business world and what goes on behind closed doors, and though unrealistic, is a tale of cunning and loyalty in a great comedy drama.
In his best ever role, Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) stars as street urchin Billy Ray Valentine, a cheeky and egotistical man who can't believe his luck when he is invited to work for the Dukes, the two businessmen who are scamming against him. Murphy excels in his own way, with that big smile and that own sophistication that he does so well, and the reason that this is his best ever role, is because as well as the comedy, there is a strong and determined belief about his character that is admirable and watchable and through his portrayal, we can see differences in the type of culture his character takes to.
Murphy is matched on every level by an excellent performance by Aykroyd whose life falls through our very eyes. The way his life can't seem to get any worse is one of the many reasons this film works so well.
These performances are matched with a gripping plot that sees viewers taken into the dark side of the business life, and through two evil and manipulative money driven owners, the Dukes. And the concept of money drives the film forward and the cruelty behind their bet is unbelievable and horrible to even think about, and is shown in such a dramatic fashion.
There is plenty of illegal activity, not to mention racial abuse and discrimination through the hierarchy that it is unthinkable that business was once like this.
Though I was completely lost during the final couple of scenes, this is a serious ideology encoded into a fairly humorous and dramatic film about the dealings and the life in business.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- De mendigo a millonario
- Filming locations
- Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA(Billy Ray Valentine is questioned by officers Pantuzzi [link=nm0546306] & Reynolds [link=nm0113225] while he is panhandling & pretending to be crippled & blind)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $90,404,800
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,348,200
- Jun 12, 1983
- Gross worldwide
- $90,404,800
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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