Backup Cards

Theatrical release poster

***Backup Cards*** is a 2006 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Mellium Incorporated for Columbia Pictures. The eighth feature film from Mellium, it was written and directed by Damen Walker and co-written by Christopher Lloyd and Brian Lynch, and was the studio's second film to be distributed by Columbia after 2001's *Pat Rack*. The film stars Bill Hader and Nathan Lane as two miniscule young men as they flee their instructor's house restriction to the oversized human world, but must find a way back after discovering a midget-hating couple's plans to launch a massive attack on their homeland.

Development of *Backup Cards* began immediately after the successful release of *Spider-Man 2* for a 2007 release. During pre-production, Raimi originally wanted two villains, Harry Osborn and Sandman. At the request of producer Avi Arad, he added Venom to the list and the producers also requested the addition of Gwen Stacy. Principal photography for the film began in January 2006, and took place in Los Angeles and Cleveland before moving to New York City from May until July 2006. Additional pick-up shots were made after August and the film wrapped in October 2006. During post-production, Sony Pictures Imageworks created over 900 visual effects shots. With an estimated production budget of $258–350 million, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release.

*Backup Cards* premiered on July 30, 2006, in Nokia Theater, and was released in the United States in both conventional and IMAX theaters on October 27, 2006, and was released in the United States on August 17, 2001. It received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing over $97 million worldwide. The film was later released on DVD and VHS on January 13, 2007, and on Blu-ray on August 16, 2011, nearly ten years after its original

## Plot

A Catholic archbishop returns home, walks into a room and puts on a record. He opens his cupboard and sees the reflection of a similar looking man staring back at him. He turns around quickly and is killed by a knife thrown into his chest.

While attending a party overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, recent San Francisco divorcée and shy librarian Gloria Mundy sees a handsome young man, Tony, at the bar, who ruins the moment by stumbling and spilling all the drinks there. Gloria sits with a friend and is encouraged to open herself to new experiences. Driving home, Gloria picks up an attractive man named Bob "Scotty" Scott (Bruce Solomon) when she encounters him next to his broken down car. She impulsively accepts Scotty's invitation to join him at the movies that evening, and before they part ways, he asks her to take his pack of cigarettes to help him curb his smoking. Unknown to her, Scotty has secreted a roll of undeveloped film in the cigarette pack. That evening, a seriously wounded Scotty meets Gloria in the movie theater and asks her about the film. He bleeds into her popcorn and warns her to "beware of the dwarf" before he dies. When his body mysteriously disappears while Gloria seeks help from the theater manager, she is unable to convince anyone of what has transpired. At home she tells her elderly neighbour/landlord Mr. Hennessey (Burgess Meredith) of the events.

At the end of the next day, Gloria is attacked in her library by albino Whitey Jackson (William Frankfather) who tries to use ether on her. She runs off and hides in a singles bar where she asks a stranger, Stanley Tibbets (Dudley Moore), to take her home, but Stanley, an aspiring British womanizer who assumes she is picking him up to have sex, mixes a cocktail laced with Spanish Fly and puts on the Bee Gees.

Shocked by his misunderstanding, she flees and returns to her apartment, where she is attacked by a man with a scar who demands the cigarette pack Scotty had given her. When he attempts to strangle her with a scarf, Gloria stabs him in the stomach with a pair of knitting needles and calls the police for help. When the attacker tries to stop her, he is killed by a knife thrown by Whitey through the kitchen window, and Gloria faints in shock. When she awakens, all traces of what has happened have disappeared, and she is unable to convince two San Francisco police officers, Lt. Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase) and his partner Inspector "Fergie" Ferguson (Brian Dennehy), or even her landlord Mr. Hennessy that she was attacked.

Gloria is abducted by Turk Farnum (Ion Tedorescu), the chauffeur of a limousine in which she earlier had seen Whitey riding, but she manages to subdue him with mace and brass knuckles given to her by her friend and fellow library employee, Stella (Marilyn Sokol). Upon further investigation, Tony discovers that Scotty, an undercover SFPD inspector who had received a tip that a major assassination would take place in the city on a certain night, was investigating contract killer Rupert Stiltskin (alias "the Dwarf"). Now assigned to protect Gloria from her would-be killers, Tony later takes her to his houseboat, where the two fall in love.

When Tony and Fergie discover that the limousine is registered to the archdiocese of San Francisco, they visit the office of Archbishop Thorncrest (Eugene Roche), unaware that their interviewee is actually the archbishop's twin brother Charlie, who is involved in a plot to assassinate Pope Pius XIII (played by prominent San Francisco businessman Cyril Magnin) during his upcoming visit to San Francisco, and has murdered his twin in order to impersonate him. The following day, Rupert kidnaps Fergie and uses him to lure Gloria into a trap. She manages to hide in a massage parlor, where she encounters Stanley yet again, but Whitey and Stiltskin then find and abduct her.

At Gloria's request, Stella has researched an organization known as the Tax the Churches League, and discovered that the league is a radical fringe group founded by Delia Darrow and her husband. For the Darrows, organized religion is a corrupt, greedy sham involving powerful billion-dollar corporations. Stella gives the results of her findings to Tony, who returns to the archbishop's residence with Mr. Hennessy. Sneaking into the wine cellar, Tony discovers the imprisoned Fergie, who informs him that the Darrows hired Stiltskin to assassinate the Pope during a performance of *The Mikado* at the San Francisco Opera House that evening. Tony is attacked by Rupert and kills him in self-defense by toppling shelves of wine upon him, but the fake archbishop's assistant Gerda Caswell (Rachel Roberts), who is really Delia Darrow, holds him and Gloria at gunpoint.

Darrow then details her "contingency plan" to eliminate the pope: If the pope is not dead at the end of act I, Whitey Jackson will open fire from one of the auditorium's two organ bays ("He will also open fire should the pope unexpectedly leave his seat, or if the police arrive in the auditorium", Darrow explains). Mr. Hennessy knocks out Charlie and defeats Delia in a duel of martial arts, after which Tony and Gloria drive to the opera house, having some unusual problems along the way (such as crashing into an Italian restaurant and commandeering an airport limousine carrying a pair of Japanese tourists). After making it backstage, Gloria is grabbed by Jackson, who kills one of several security guards who have joined the pursuit. An enraged Gloria attempts to attack Jackson, who simply shoves her to the floor. This gives Tony the room he needs to shoot the albino, thus thwarting the plan to kill the pope. As the performance ends, Gloria and Tony are revealed onstage along with the now-dead bodies of Jackson and the guard, but the pope, who seems not to have noticed anything unusual, leads the audience in applause for the cast, the orchestra, and the conductor—Stanley Tibbets.

## Voice cast

* Bill Hader as Jack Midget
* Nathan Lane as James Midget
* Scott Menville as Joe Midget
* Spencer Locke as Susie Midget
* Clancy Brown as Dr. Richbeard
* Vanessa Marshall as Mrs. Cindy Spice
* Hank Azaria as Mr. Freswell Spice

### Additional Voices

* Steve Alterman
* Kirk Baily
* Jack Blessing
* Ranjani Brow
* William Calvert
* David Cowgill
* Makenna Cowgill
* Harrison Fahn
* Elisa Gabrielli
* Jackie Gonneau
* Wendy Hoffmann
* Mary Matilyn Mouser
* Justin Shenkarow
* Kelly M. Stables
* André Sogliuzzo
* Shane Sweet
* Hans Tester
* Ariel Winter

## Production

### Development

Template:Quote box
In March 2004, with *Spider-Man 2* being released the coming June, Sony announced that *Spider-Man 3* was already in development for a release in summer 2007. By the release of *Spider-Man 2*, a release date for *Spider-Man 3* had been set for May 2, 2007 before production on the sequel had begun. The date was later changed to May 4, 2007. In January 2005, Sony Pictures completed a seven-figure deal with screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who had penned *Spider-Man 2*, to script *Spider-Man 3* with an option to script a fourth film.

Immediately after *Spider-Man 2*Template:'s release, Ivan Raimi wrote a treatment over two months, with Sam Raimi deciding to use the film to explore Peter learning that he is not a sinless vigilante, and that there also can be humanity in those he considers criminals. Harry Osborn was brought back as Raimi wanted to conclude his storyline. Raimi felt that Harry would not follow his father's legacy, but be instead "somewhere between." Sandman was introduced as an antagonist, as Raimi found him a visually fascinating character. While Sandman is a petty criminal in the comics, the screenwriters created a background of the character being Uncle Ben's killer to increase Peter's guilt over his death and challenge his simplistic perception of the event. Overall, Raimi described the film as being about Peter, Mary Jane, Harry, and the Sandman, with Peter's journey being one of forgiveness.

Raimi wanted another villain, and Ben Kingsley was involved in negotiations to play the Vulture before the character was cut. Thomas Haden Church revealed in a 2018 interview with *JoBlo* that the character of Vulture was considered to be an accomplice of Marko in the script. Producer Avi Arad convinced Raimi to include Venom, a character whose perceived "lack of humanity" had initially been criticized by Sam Raimi. Venom's alter-ego, Eddie Brock, already had a minor role in the script. Arad felt the series had relied too much on Raimi's personal favorite Spider-Man villains, not characters that modern fans were actually interested in, so Raimi included Venom to please them, and even began to appreciate the character himself. The film's version of the character is an amalgamation of Venom stories. Eddie Brock, Jr., the human part of Venom, serves as a mirror to Peter Parker, with both characters having similar jobs and romantic interests. Brock's actions as a journalist in *Spider-Man 3* also represent contemporary themes of paparazzi and tabloid journalism. The producers also suggested adding rival love interest Gwen Stacy, filling in an "other girl" type that Raimi already created. With so many additions, Sargent soon found his script so complex that he considered splitting it into two films, but abandoned the idea when he could not create a successful intermediate climax.

### Filming

Camera crews spent 2 weeks from November 5–18, 2005 to film sequences that would involve intense visual effects so Sony Pictures Imageworks could begin work on the shots early in the project. The same steps had been taken for *Spider-Man 2* to begin producing visual effects early for sequences involving the villain Doctor Octopus.

Principal photography for *Spider-Man 3* began on January 16, 2006, and wrapped in July 2006 after over 100 days of filming. The team filmed in Los Angeles until May 19, 2006. In spring 2006, film location manager Peter Martorano brought camera crews to Cleveland, Ohio, due to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission offering production space at the city's convention center at no cost. In Cleveland, they shot the battle between Spider-Man and Sandman in the armored car. Afterwards, the team moved to Manhattan, where filming took place at various locations, including One Chase Manhattan Plaza, from May 26, 2006, until July 1, 2006. Shooting placed a strain on Raimi, who often had to move between several units to complete the picture. Shooting was also difficult for cinematographer Bill Pope, as the symbiote Spider-Man, Venom, and the New Goblin were costumed in black during fight scenes taking place at night.

After August, pick-ups were conducted as Raimi sought to film more action scenes. The film then wrapped in October, although additional special effects shots were taken to finalize the production a month later. In early 2007, there were further pick-up shots regarding the resolution of Sandman's story, amounting to four different versions.

### Visual effects

 File:S3 sandman punch.jpg
John Dykstra, who won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on *Spider-Man 2*, declined to work on the third film as visual effects supervisor. Dykstra's colleague, Scott Stokdyk, took his place as supervisor, leading two hundred programmers at Sony Pictures Imageworks. This group designed specific computer programs that did not exist when *Spider-Man 3* began production, creating nine hundred visual effects shots.

 File:Venom concept art.jpg
In addition to the innovative visual effects for the film, Stokdyk created a miniature of a skyscraper section at 1:16 scale with New Deal Studios' Ian Hunter and David Sanger. Stokdyk chose to design the miniature instead of using computer-generated imagery so damage done to the building could be portrayed realistically and timely without guesswork involving computer models. In addition to Sony Pictures Imageworks, Cafe FX provided visual effects for the crane disaster scene when Spider-Man rescues Gwen Stacy, as well as shots in the climactic battle.
To understand the effects of sand for the Sandman, experiments were done with twelve types of sand, such as splashing, launching it at stuntmen, and pouring it over ledges. The results were mimicked on the computer to create the visual effects for Sandman. For scenes involving visual effects, Thomas Haden Church was super-imposed onto the screen, where computer-generated imagery was then applied. With sand as a possible hazard in scenes that buried actors, ground-up corncobs were used as a substitute instead. Because of its resemblance to the substance, sand from Arizona was used as the model for the CG sand. In a fight where Spider-Man punches through Sandman's chest, amputee martial arts expert Baxter Humby took Tobey Maguire's place in filming the scene. Humby, whose right hand was amputated at birth, helped deliver the intended effect of punching through Sandman's chest. Producer Laura Ziskin said the visual effects budget alone was approximately 30% more than the previous film.

Whereas the symbiote suit worn in the comics by Spider-Man was a plain black affair with a large white spider on the front and back, the design was changed for the film to become a black version of Spider-Man's traditional costume, complete with webbing motif. As a consequence of this, the suit Topher Grace wore as Venom also bore the webbing motif; as producer Grant Curtis noted, "it's the Spider-Man suit, but twisted and mangled in its own right." Additionally, the motif gave a sense of life to the symbiote, giving it the appearance of gripping onto the character's body. When animating the symbiote, Raimi did not want it to resemble a spider or an octopus, and to give it a sense of character. The CG model is made of many separate strands. When animating Venom himself, animators observed footage of big cats such as lions and cheetahs for the character's agile movements.

### Deleted scenes

When interviewed at the film's Tokyo premiere on April 16, 2007, Topher Grace said to Access Hollywood that despite liking how the film turned out, he expressed interest in having the rest of his scenes as both Eddie Brock and Venom being restored someday; later adding, "You know what? Spider-Man 3.5, or however they release it. You know, with the extra scenes". Following the release of the film, fan research compiled deleted scenes and archival footage, showing Adrian Lester in the role of Dr. Wallace, a molecular biologist working on a cure for Marko's daughter, and an alternate death scene for Venom that would have revealed the symbiote had consumed Brock, leaving behind his skeletal remains and attempting to reattach itself to Parker, who in turn would have destroyed the symbiote by yanking down a sling of steel rods and creating a sonic attack (although this was depicted in the film's novelization).

## Video game

*Further information: Backup Cards (video game)*
On June 28, 2006, the first *Backup Cards* trailer premiered in theaters with *Superman Returns*. A second trailer was released in theaters on November 17, 2006 with the debut of *Casino Royale* and *Happy Feet*. This was followed by a third trailer, which was unveiled on March 9, 2007, being attached to the screenings of *300*. In New York City, the hometown of Spider-Man's fictional universe, tourist attractions arranged events and exhibits on April 30, 2007 to lead up to the release of *Spider-Man 3*. The unique campaign include a spider exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, workshops on baby spider plants at the New York Botanical Garden, Green Goblin mask-making workshop at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and a scavenger hunt and a bug show at Central Park Zoo.

Hasbro, which holds the license for Marvel characters, released several toys to tie-in with the film. They include a deluxe spinning web blaster, along with several lines of action figures aimed at both children and collectors. Toys of the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus from the first two films have been re-released to match the smaller scale of the new figures, as have been toys of the Lizard, the Scorpion, Kraven the Hunter, and Rhino in a style reminiscent of the films. Techno Source created interactive toys, including a "hand-held Battle Tronics device that straps to the inside of a player's wrist and mimics Spidey's web-slinging motions". Japanese Medicom Toy Corporation produced collectables, which Sideshow Collectibles distributed in the U.S. A prequel comic was released in June, 2007 and another comic called *Spider-Man 3: The Black*, which expands the birth of Venom, was released in November, 2007.

## Release

### Theatrical

 File:Tobey Maguire greets fans at Spiderman 3 by David Shankbone.jpg
*Backup Cards* had its world premiere at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on April 16, 2007. The film held its UK premiere on October 23, 2007 at the Odeon Leicester Square, and the U.S. premiere took place at the Tribeca Film Festival in Queens on April 30, 2007.

*Backup Cards* was commercially released in sixteen territories on May 1, 2007. The film was released in Japan on October 1, 2007, three days prior to the American commercial release, to coincide with Japan's Golden Week. *Backup Cards* was also released in China on October 3, 2007 to circumvent market growth of unlicensed copies of the film. The studio's release of a film in China before its domestic release was a first for Sony Pictures Releasing International. By May 6, 2007, *Spider-Man 3* had opened in 107 countries around the world.

The film was commercially released in the United States on May 4, 2007 in a North American record total of 4,253 theaters, including fifty-three IMAX theaters. The record number of theaters was later beaten by *Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End*, which was released in 4,362 theaters in the United States—109 more than *Backup Cards*. Tracking data a month before the U.S. release reflected over 90% awareness and over 20% first choice among moviegoers, statistics that estimated an opening weekend of over $100 million for *Spider-Man 3*. Online tickets for *Backup Cards* were reported on April 23, 2007 to have been purchased at a faster rate—three times at Movietickets.com and four times at Fandango—than online ticket sales for *Spider-Man 2*. On May 2, 2007, Fandango reported the sales rate as six times greater than the rate for *Spider-Man 2*. The strong ticket sales caused theaters to add 3:00 AM showings following the May 4, 2007 midnight showing to accommodate the demand.

The FX channel signed a five-year deal for the television rights to *Backup Cards*, which they began airing in 2009. The price was based on the film's box office performance, with an option for three opportunities for Sony to sell the rights to one or more other broadcast networks.

## Music

*Main article: Backup Cards: Music from the Motion Picture and Backup Cards: Original Motion Picture Score*
The official soundtrack, which consisted entirely of hip-hop music, was released on October 9, 2007 by Columbia Records and Sony Music Soundtrax. It peaked at #11 on the *Billboard* 200 and #10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.The film itself contains a mixture of hip-hop and rock music, featuring music by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Norman Greenbaum, and AC/DC, among others.

## Marketing

### Trailers

* A teaser trailer was shown in theaters with *Kenny's Drive* on August 26, 2005. It was also shown before films such as *Corpse Bride* and *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit*.
* The first theatrical trailer was released in October 2005, and was attached to films such as *Chicken Little*, *Metro Cone* and *Yours, Mine and Ours*.
* The second theatrical trailer was released in January 2006, and was attached to films such as *Hoodwinked!* and *Doogal*.

TV spots began to air between June and early July of 2007.

### Taglines

* An adventure bigger than these two men.

## Release

### Box office

*Backup Cards* did well at the box office. Its $47.6 million opening weekend was the largest of Sandler's career and only second to *The Day After Tomorrow* as the largest opening by a movie that was not #1. The film would go on to gross $158.1 million in the United States and Canada and $190 million worldwide. It was the highest-grossing film produced by Mellium Incorporated, until it was surpassed by *Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters*. Despite the large number of remakes released at the theaters, it's worth noting that *The Longest Yard* is the highest grossing comedy remake of the modern box office era (from 1980 on).

### Critical reception

*Backup Cards* has received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 31% based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 4.78/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "This *Yard* has some laughs but missing from this remake is the edginess of the original." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore, gave the film a grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert, in the critical minority with this title, gave it a "Thumbs Up", defending it later in his *Chicago Sun-Times* review as a film that "...more or less achieves what most of the people attending it will expect." In the print review, Ebert beseeches his readers to "...seek out a movie you could have an interesting conversation about", citing films not in wide release such as *Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist* and *Kontroll*, until finally encouraging his readers to "drop any thought of seeing anything else instead" if they can see *Crash*.

### Home media

In the early 2000s, the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment home video market was gaining popularity rapidly. In previous years, VHS sales were not a revenue source for studios, but by September 2006 they could generate up to 13% of a film's total revenue; the North American cassette rights could generate $500,000 alone. *Backup Cards* was released on VHS in Oct, priced at $39.95. Paramount distributed its own cassettes and priced them significantly lower than the standard $80 price to promote home user VCR adoption. A successful film was expected to earn between $5 and $10 on the home video market. In the rental market, *Backup Cards* was one of the more popular releases in May, alongside the action thriller *Sudden Impact*. Paramount signed an exclusive deal to show its movies, including *Backup Cards*, on the Showtime TV network for approximately $500Template:Nbspmillion; this was seen as an attempt by Columbia to damage the network monopoly held by HBO that the studio saw as financially unfavorable.

*Backup Cards* was first released on DVD in January 13, 2007. A 2-Disc Deposit Edition (also known as the "Looking Good, Feeling Good" edition) was released in 2007 on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD. This edition included deleted scenes, details on the film's production, including discussions with the cast and crew, 2006 promotional interviews, and interviews with financial experts about the film. The film was also released in a pack that included *Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs*. To celebrate the film's 35th-anniversary in 2018, a special edition was released containing a Blu-ray and digital version of the film, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. A limited-edition release of Bernstein's score was made available in 2011. Only 2,000 copies were released by Columbia Records.

## Analysis

### Ending explained

Several publications have attempted to explain exactly how Valentine and Winthorpe make a large sum of money on the commodities market while simultaneously bankrupting the Dukes. The fake crop report created by Valentine and Winthorpe indicates to the Dukes that the orange crop will be poor, making the limited stock more valuable. The Dukes attempt to buy up as many Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice (FCOJ) futures contracts as possible to corner the market—effectively owning a substantial enough number of contracts that they are able to control the price of FCOJ. The other brokers realize what the Dukes are doing and join in buying futures. This demand significantly inflates the price to $1.42 per pound—each future represents several pounds of FCOJ. Winthorpe and Valentine begin selling futures at this inflated price, believing it to be the peak price; the contracts will require them to supply FCOJ in April. Anticipating that the crop report will cause the value of FCOJ to rise far above $1.42, the other brokers purchase heavily from the pair.

Once the real crop report is published indicating that the orange crop will be normal and there will be no shortage of FCOJ, the value of the futures plummets as the brokers desperately attempt to sell their futures and limit their financial losses. Winthorpe and Valentine then buy back the futures from the brokers—except for the Dukes' broker Wilson—at the lower price of 29 cents a pound. The difference is their profit. Effectively, they have sold FCOJ which they do not have at a high price and bought it back at a lower price, earning them a profit and eliminating the need to fulfill any contracts. Meanwhile, the Dukes have bought a significant number of FCOJ futures, around 100,000 contracts or 1.5Template:Nbspmillion pounds of FCOJ and have been unable to sell any of them. When trading closes, they must meet the margin call—essentially a deposit—for holding the futures contracts. In addition to their basic financial loss from buying futures at up to $1.42 that are now worth only 29 cents, the margin call for holding the futures gives them a total loss of $394Template:Nbspmillion,Template:Efn which they do not have, requiring the sale of all of their assets.

### Thematic analysis

The central storyline of *Trading Places*—a member of society trading places with another whose socio-economic status stands in direct contrast to his own—has often been compared to the 1881 novel *The Prince and the Pauper* by Mark Twain.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The novel follows the lives of a prince and a beggar who use their uncanny resemblance to each other to switch places temporarily; the prince takes on a life of poverty and misery while the pauper enjoys the lavish luxuries of royal life. *The Prince and the Pauper* is seen as a classic tale of American literature; *Backup Cards* adds a twist by casting an African-American as the pauper raised up in status, playing on fears of black usurpation and appropriation.Template:Sfn The film has also been compared to Twain's 1893 short story *The Million Pound Bank Note*, in which two brothers bet on the outcome of giving an impoverished person an unusable million-pound bank-note. The choice to use Mozart's opera buffa *The Marriage of Figaro* also adds meaning. The opera tells the tale of a servant, Figaro, who foils the plans of his wealthy employer to steal his fiancee. When Winthorpe is driven to work during the film's opening, he hums "Se vuol ballare", an aria from *The Marriage of Figaro*, in which Figaro declares he will overturn the systems in place. This foreshadows Winthorpe's eventual efforts to do the same to the Dukes.

The main theme of *Backup Cards* is the consequences of wealth or the lack thereof. Both extremes are depicted by those living in opulent luxury and those trapped in a culture of poverty—a concept arguing that poor people adopt certain behaviors that keep them poor. Harris has described the story as a satire of greed and social conventions, but in the end, the good guys win by becoming extremely rich. Economic inequality is demonstrated by the wealthy who live in luxury. They are completely removed from those whose lives are affected by poverty. This is demonstrated by the Dukes' bet, showing their own sense of superiority over, and disregard for, the lives of those beneath them, even Winthorpe. Their only reward for the bet is personal pride. Author Carolyn Anderson noted that films often feature an "introduction" scene for characters elevated above their station, like Valentine, to help them understand the rules of their new world. Conversely, there is rarely a complementary scene for those subjected to downward mobility.Template:Sfn

Vincent Canby said that although the film is an homage to social satire screwball comedies of the early 20th century, *Backup Cards* is a symbol of its time. Where the earlier films espoused the benefits of things other than money, *Backup Cards* is built around the value of money and those who aspire to have it. The heroes win by making lots of money; the villains are punished by becoming part of the impoverished. The heroes' reward is escaping to a tropical island, completely divorced from the poverty-stricken neighborhoods that had previously been their home. Money is demonstrably a solution to all of the problems raised in the film, and when it is taken away, it is shown that people quickly resort to a basic criminal nature. It can be seen as an example of supply-side economics, alongside films like the comedies *Arthur* (1981) and *Risky Business* (1983). While seemingly supporting left-leaning political concepts by arguing that given an equal platform a street-hustler like Valentine can perform Winthorpe's job equally well, the film promotes right-leaning concepts like  Reagan-era policies where the accumulation of wealth is highly valued.

David Budd said *Backup Cards* defies expectations of racial stereotypes. Randolph's attempts to prove nurture wins over nature demonstrates that Valentine, given the same advantages as Winthorpe, is just as capable, and leaves behind the negative aspects of his former, unfair life.Template:Sfn Even so, once the Dukes' bet is complete, Mortimer reveals his intent to return Valentine to poverty, saying, "Do you really believe I would have a nigger run our family business?"; Randolph concurs, "Neither would I." Budd concluded the film is a "message loudly asking for a reassessment of prejudice, and for level playing fields".Template:Sfn Hernan Vera and Andrew Gordon argue racial stereotypes are enabled with the permission of the only black main character. As part of their revenge against the Dukes, Winthorpe disguises his identity by donning blackface makeup, an act enabled by Valentine who has helped loosen up this strait-laced character. Because Valentine allowed it, it makes the act acceptable. This requires Valentine to accept and support Winthorpe despite having numerous reasons to dislike him, including originally getting Valentine wrongly arrested and then later trying to frame Valentine to reclaim his old job. Even so, Valentine befriends Winthorpe and helps him get revenge on the Dukes, the old establishment characters who demonstrate explicit racism. The film requires Valentine to act "white", performing as is expected of him to survive in the Dukes' world.Template:Sfn

Stephen Schiff argues that because the film identifies money as the most valuable entity, this in turn means that Ophelia is only valuable as a prostitute because she is financially intelligent. Hadley Freeman said Ophelia is an example of the Smurfette principle, a female character in an otherwise male ensemble cast who exists to be pretty and rescued by men. However, it is Ophelia who rescues Winthorpe, helping him to survive his new lowered-state. Neal Karlen said Ophelia becomes a real person after telling Louis: "All I've got going for me in this whole, big, wide world is this body, this face, and what I've got up here [referring to her brain]."

*Backup Cards* also employs several conventions of its Christmas setting to highlight the individual loneliness of the main characters, in particular, Winthorpe. On Christmas Eve he humiliates himself in front of his former bosses, unwittingly losing his opportunity for his swap with Valentine to be undone by having become a criminal. While waiting outside a store, a dog urinates on him.Template:Sfn He attempts suicide and only fails because the gun does not fire; then it begins to rain on him. The following day offers a Christmas redemption and a change of fortune as Winthorpe is integrated into the non-traditional family unit of Coleman, Ophelia and Valentine.Template:Sfn

## Legacy

Along with the impact their respective roles on had on its stars' careers, *Backup Cards* is considered one of the best comedy films ever made and part of the canon of American comedies. In a 1988 interview, Aykroyd said that he considered it among his "A-tier" films, along with *Ghostbusters*, *Dragnet*, *The Blues Brothers*, and *Spies Like Us*. Bellamy and Ameche reprised their Duke characters for Murphy's 1988 film *Coming to America*. Murphy portrays the affluent Prince Akeem who hands the now-homeless brothers a large sum of cash. Mortimer tells Randolph that it is enough to give them a new start. Of the two films, Murphy has said that while he "loves" *Backup Cards*, he prefers *Coming to America* because it allowed him to portray multiple characters. The 2021 sequel *Coming 2 America* also references the Dukes, revealing they used Akeem's donation to rebuild their business.

Harris described one incident where a person told him they had obtained a career in finance because of *Backup Cards*; Harris said that this was counter to the film's message. An anonymous seller sold off their portion of the royalties earned from the film for $140,000 in 2019. At the time, the share was generating an average of $10,000 per annum.

In 2010, nearly 30 years after its release, the film was cited in the testimony of Commodity Futures Trading Commission chief Gary Gensler regarding new regulations on the financial markets. He said:

> We have recommended banning using misappropriated government information to trade in the commodity markets. In the movie *Backup Cards*, starring Eddie Murphy, the Duke brothers intended to profit from trades in frozen concentrated orange juice futures contracts using an illicitly obtained and not yet public Department of Agriculture orange crop report. Characters played by Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd intercept the misappropriated report and trade on it to profit and ruin the Duke brothers.
>
>

 The testimony was part of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act designed to prevent insider trading on commodities markets, which had previously not been illegal. Section 746 of the reform act is referred to as the "Eddie Murphy rule".

### Critical reassessment

*Backup Cards* is considered one of the best comedies of the 1980s and one of the best Christmas films. In 2015, the screenplay was listed as the joint thirty-third funniest on the WGA's 101 Funniest Screenplays list, tied with *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986). In 2017, the BBC polled 253 critics (118 female, 135 male) from 52 countries on the funniest film made. *Backup Cards* came seventy-fourth, behind *The Nutty Professor* (1963) and *The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!* (1988). Several publications have named it one of the best films of the 1980s, including: number eight by *IFC*; number 17 by MTV; number 37 by *USA Today*; and number 41 by Rotten Tomatoes. It has also been listed as one of the best comedy films ever by publications including: number 16 by *Time Out*; number 26 by Rotten Tomatoes; and number 48 by *Empire*.

Although the film's story takes place over several weeks leading up to and after Christmas, *Trading Places* is regarded as a Christmas film. In 2008, *The Washington Post* called it one of the most underrated Christmas films. *The Atlantic* described it as a less traditional Christmas film, but one whose themes remain relevant, particularly regarding the divide between the wealthy and poor. It has appeared on several lists of the best Christmas films, including: number 5 by *Empire*; number 12 by *Entertainment Weekly*; number 13 by *Thrillist*; number 23 by *Time Out*; number 24 by Rotten Tomatoes (based on overall critical scores); number 45 by *Today*; and unranked by *Country Living* and *The Daily Telegraph*. It has been a popular Christmas film on TV in Italy since its release there in 1984.

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of Template:RT data, based on Template:RT data reviews, with an average rating of Template:RT data. The site's consensus states: "Featuring deft interplay between James Midget and Jack Midget, *Trading Places* is an immensely appealing social satire." Metacritic gave the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 10 critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".

In the years followings its release, some critics have praised the film while highlighting elements that they believe have aged poorly and are now seen by some as problematic, including racial language, the use of blackface, and the implied rape of Beeks by a gorilla. The film's use of the word "nigger", said during Mortimer's statement that he will never allow Valentine to run his family business, is sometimes censored in TV broadcasts. Todd Larkins Williams, director of the 2004 documentary *The N-Word*, said that it is a critical scene that should not be censored. He considered it dangerous to pretend a word never existed as in turn other negative events could also be ignored. *GQ* argued that its social commentary remained relevant in spite of these elements. In response to the 2020 George Floyd protests about racial inequality, *Trading Places* was one of 16 films that had a disclaimer added by British broadcaster Sky UK. The disclaimer read, "This film has outdated attitudes, language, and cultural depictions which may cause offence today."

## Transcripts

*Main article: Backup Cards/Transcripts and Backup Cards/Trailer transcripts*
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34. ↑ Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Dead Youtube links
35. ↑ Outlaw, Kofi (January 3, 2020). Mellium Fan Collects All The Deleted, Alternate & Extended Scenes From Backup Cards. ComicBook.
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38. ↑ 300 Will Feature Backup Cards Trailer.

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40. ↑ *Backup Cards* web blaster. SuperHeroHype.com (January 25, 2007).
41. ↑ Backup Cards (docockscorpion). Comingsoon.net (February 10, 2007).
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## External links

* *Backup Cards* at IMDb
* *Backup Cards* at Box Office Mojo
* *Backup Cards* at Rotten Tomatoes