Think about it. Many other biblical stories involve the punishment of 'wicked' people, but the Book of Job is God being a jerk to a good person just to prove a point with Satan, which God doesn't actually win because Job eventually becomes angry with God. So here the Duke brothers are actually being a jerk to two people. Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche play the old money Duke brothers, Randolph and Mortimer. In the classic movie era Ralph Bellamy could play the clueless good guy and he could also play very bad characters. Don Ameche tended towards the good guys in most of his films, or at least the well meaning. Well here these two are rotten to the core. They are not malicious, they just have no respect or regard for their fellow human beings whatsoever. Dan Akroyd plays Louis Winthorpe III, an employee of the Dukes who is their fair haired up and coming employee. He also comes from a wealthy background with a former debutante for a fiancée. Eddie Murphy plays Billy Ray Valentine, a poor conman, pretending to be a legless Vietnam vet to be a more successful panhandler. As a result of a mix-up, Billy Ray is accused of trying to rob Winthorpe, and Winthorpe chases Billy around his exclusive club, and holds him until the police get there.
Now the brothers, who have observed this commotion, have been having an argument about whether environment or breeding makes a man, and they bet one dollar against one another in an experiment in which they will disgrace Winthorpe, cause him to lose his money and his standing in the community, and make him poor. The other half of the experiment is to build up Valentine into someone that they can pass off as one of their employees, and they give him Winthorpe's old house to live in. The experiment will tell whether a change in environment will make a gentleman out of Billy Ray and cause Winthorpe to turn to crime.
How are the Dukes being a jerk to Billy Ray? Once the experiment is over they plan to throw him back out into the street.
Well the brothers successfully pull off both switches. As a result both Winthorpe and Billy Ray learn the people they thought were friends really aren't. Winthorpe's friends and fiancée abandon him. Billy Ray discovers his friends are hanging around "his house" just for freebies. Meanwhile a beautiful hooker (Jamie Lee Curtis) takes in Winthorpe who has no idea how to fend for himself without money or at least plastic. She is doing this for a price however, once Winthorpe can reclaim his fortune he promises to pay her well.
Funny thing, Curtis' hooker has a plan that would never work today. She is saving her money and putting them in T-Bills at 10% and plans to retire in a few years and live off the interest. Good luck with that plan today since you cant even get banks to pay you .01%. She'd be on her back until she was old and flabby and nobody wanted the ride.
How does this all work out? I'll just say "justly". That's all. Try to dig up this oldie from the 80's when greed was good and watch for yourselves.
Personally, the Dukes are so bad they are terrific. My favorite exchange between them:
Duke brother 1 - "Mother always said you were the greedy one".
Duke brother 2 - "She meant it as a compliment."
Now the brothers, who have observed this commotion, have been having an argument about whether environment or breeding makes a man, and they bet one dollar against one another in an experiment in which they will disgrace Winthorpe, cause him to lose his money and his standing in the community, and make him poor. The other half of the experiment is to build up Valentine into someone that they can pass off as one of their employees, and they give him Winthorpe's old house to live in. The experiment will tell whether a change in environment will make a gentleman out of Billy Ray and cause Winthorpe to turn to crime.
How are the Dukes being a jerk to Billy Ray? Once the experiment is over they plan to throw him back out into the street.
Well the brothers successfully pull off both switches. As a result both Winthorpe and Billy Ray learn the people they thought were friends really aren't. Winthorpe's friends and fiancée abandon him. Billy Ray discovers his friends are hanging around "his house" just for freebies. Meanwhile a beautiful hooker (Jamie Lee Curtis) takes in Winthorpe who has no idea how to fend for himself without money or at least plastic. She is doing this for a price however, once Winthorpe can reclaim his fortune he promises to pay her well.
Funny thing, Curtis' hooker has a plan that would never work today. She is saving her money and putting them in T-Bills at 10% and plans to retire in a few years and live off the interest. Good luck with that plan today since you cant even get banks to pay you .01%. She'd be on her back until she was old and flabby and nobody wanted the ride.
How does this all work out? I'll just say "justly". That's all. Try to dig up this oldie from the 80's when greed was good and watch for yourselves.
Personally, the Dukes are so bad they are terrific. My favorite exchange between them:
Duke brother 1 - "Mother always said you were the greedy one".
Duke brother 2 - "She meant it as a compliment."