A Movie that I have seen several times is Trading Places starring Dan Arkroyd (Louis Winthrope III), Eddie Murphy (Billy Ray) and Don Ameche and Ralph Bellany as the "rich dudes" the Duke brothers. The movie starts out as a bet between the two Duke brothers about human nature and whether being law abiding is by virtue of nature or nurture. In order to pursue this bet, they engineer the switching of the very proper, nay snobbish, Louis Winthrope III (who's very name speaks of wealth and privelege and super-respectablility) and the very street wise, thug persona of Billy Ray (Eddie Murphy). Beyond the comedy inherent in the concept and the way the script reads, there are some interesting lessons. How long can Louis remain "proper" and how long will it take for Billy Ray to go "respectable". The answer provided in the movie leans at first toward the "nurture" end of the sprectrum but then there is a sharp twist and the "lab rats" become the "experimenters".

I dont think I ever noticed the sub plots before this last time. The comedic reputation of both Eddie Murphy and Dan Arkroyd seems to have blinded me to the very real deep underlying message in this movie. If up till now you have seen this movie as a piece of comedic fluff, I urge you to check it out again.