MovieChat Forums > Trading Places (1983) Discussion > What exactly happened to Penelope and he...

What exactly happened to Penelope and her friends?


I've thought this was a good movie but I was disappointed that you've never gotten to see Penelope and her snobby friends getting their comeuppance for turning their backs on Winthorpe after he turned to him when his life was falling apart, I always felt they've gotten off way too easily.

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I've thought this was a good movie but I was disappointed that you've never gotten to see Penelope and her snobby friends getting their comeuppance for turning their backs on Winthorpe after he turned to him when his life was falling apart, I always felt they've gotten off way too easily.


I don't think we needed a comeuppance scene for them. Louis was setup and for all intents and purposes, was a thief and drug dealer. He was "caught" red handed at the club, arrested for drug dealing and fired from Duke and Duke. For all anyone knew, all this was true.

Coleman not only abandoned Winthorpe, but was actually in on the plan to ruin him, yet he got to make good. Perhaps Penelope and her friends would feel terrible over what happened to Louis when facts came to light.

Most importantly, those who were actually responsible for Louis' problems were dealt with.




Is very bad to steal Jobu's rum. Is very bad.

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The best revenge is living well, and that is what is what Winthorpe and Valentine did in the end. Penelope and her snobby friends can go on living their snobby lives. They are now insignificant to Louis.

They did not actually do anything to Louis, other than talk down to him. Perhaps Louis could buy their little eatery and rename it Winthorpe's.

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A dope trailer is no place for a kitty.

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The likeliest outcome is that Penelope and her friends would go on living their upper crust lives (unlike the Dukes, they weren't ruined by Winthorpe's and Valentine's scheme), but would not have much to do with Winthorpe after that. This could be out of shame and a guilty conscience, after they found he'd been set up, but more than likely they would still decide that Winthorpe was "damaged goods," since he's taken up with an ex-hooker, and since he sunk to the level of suicidal depression at one point (they would likely not ever acknowledge "there but for the grace of God go I" -- that they could and would have sunk just as low if the Dukes had decided to play God with their lives the way they had with Winthorpe's).

So, my feeling is they would never approve of Winthorpe again, but as rich as he now is, they'd be careful about snubbing him to his face -- since they might want something from him one day. Winthorpe, for his part, would know they are not and never really were his friends, and showed him not an ounce of loyalty or support, even though he was innocent, and he'd never try to rebuild any bridges with them.

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Agree with what you said about Penelope and her snooty group.

Winthorpe, for his part, would know they are not and never really were his friends, and showed him not an ounce of loyalty or support, even though he was innocent, and he'd never try to rebuild any bridges with them.


Winthorpe's "friends" seemed particularly quick to not only abandon him, but do so in a heartless way. They almost seemed to enjoy Louis' plight when he went to the club to beg money from them. Louis's best friend in fact moved right in on Penelope - not much of a friend at all.

But while I hate Louis' friends, I give a bit of a pass to Penelope. Even after he was caught stealing from club members, arrested for dealing drugs, and later being fired from Duke & Duke, she stayed with him. It wasn't until she caught him kissing the hooker who knew him by name (!) did she finally bail. Of course we know that all Louis's "crimes" and the situation with the hooker were set-up by the Dukes, but she didn't know that.

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I always saw the "friends" as a way to show the superficial nature of relationships between the rich - how things aren't built on talent or character or merit, but rather who you know and who you are. At the risk of getting political, we see how the children of the political elite are given lucrative jobs directly out of college or are granted outrageous speaking fees for a 15 or 30 minute speech (both sides of the political aisle for what it's worth).

Todd was always trying to put the moves on Penelope, so not much of a best friend in the traditional sense. He was happy to see Louis fall so he could slide in to take his place.

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Agree. The "friends" were probably more just sticking to the social hierarchy more than actually being close to Louis as a true friend. To be fair, Louis *was* a snob among a group of snobs who was pretty easy to dislike and easy to envy because of his success at his age. Louis' reaction to bumping into Valentine and automatically thinking he was robbing him despite Valentine's apology and trying to hand the briefcase back shows Louis wasn't any better at that point than Todd and his friends.

Louis is reclaimed later when he finally realizes that being poor isn't always a result of weak character - sometimes it's circumstance.

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[deleted]

Jon nailed it. Winthorpe won with a moral victory.

She didn't conspire to hurt him ala the brothers but she stabbed him in the back and left him to fend for himself when he truly needed her. She didn't really care for him that much when it came down to it, and Louis needed to realize that. She only was with him for the power and privilege, and once he was thrown from the penthouse to the outhouse she couldn't ride him anymore. He cared for her hence his attempts to win her back but that was futile in the end. As a result of his suffering he found the love he was meant for and truly both manned and straightened up.

While he and Billy Ray and Co were having the time of their lives after getting all that $, Penelope was stuck in that vapid and bland life for the rest of her life. Sad but she made her bed and she has to stick in it.


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She didn't conspire to hurt him


I think this warrants some repeating - Penelope is a relative innocent here. She had no idea what was going on, and I mean, what would you think if you saw your fiance being recognized and kissed by a hooker? Not to mention he's caught with drugs, and the only thing he can manage to say for himself is "It wasn't heroin, it was angel dust." 😊 The bigger scumbag here is Todd, who clearly had it in for Louis from the beginning and was now taking the opportunity to further poison Penelope against him. Penelope's just a shallow person who's more willing to believe Todd because he's managed to keep his reputation intact.

As a result of his suffering he found the love he was meant for and truly both manned and straightened up.


What's great is Louis and Ophelia have more in common than is immediately apparent. It's set up right at the beginning of the film when the Dukes brush him off after he's done reporting to them. Louis already knows what it's like to feel put down by the upper crust. And he can recognize when he's done it to Ophelia.

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[deleted]

Great points, good job!

A major part of his development is his move to emotional honesty and openness with his true friends.


We can bring Coleman into this as well. He clearly doesn't believe Louis' hero story, but he's a servant and it's not his job to be sincere! But sincerity is exactly what Louis needs to hear later when Coleman reminds him of his desperate behavior after losing his money and position. Louis doesn't like hearing it, but the point is taken.

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She didn't conspire to hurt him ala the brothers but she stabbed him in the back and left him to fend for himself when he truly needed her. She didn't really care for him that much when it came down to it, and Louis needed to realize that. She only was with him for the power and privilege, and once he was thrown from the penthouse to the outhouse she couldn't ride him anymore. He cared for her hence his attempts to win her back but that was futile in the end. As a result of his suffering he found the love he was meant for and truly both manned and straightened up.


You must have watched a different version of Trading Places than I did.

Penelope didn't abandon Winthorpe after he was accused of stealing & selling drugs.

Quite the opposite.

Penelope picks Winthorpe up from the police station and trusts in him after he denies ever stealing/selling dope.

It wasn't until a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) acts like Winthorpe is her pimp that Penelope is heartbroken & leaves him for good.

Mother is the name for God on the lips & hearts of all children -Eric D. Raven

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This is like the fourth time you have posted the same comment on this board about Penelope and the rest of the group getting their "comeuppance." 1. What is your twisted obsession with these minor characters? 2. What is with your creepy word-boner over the term "comeuppance"? You have been posting this same comment on this board for YEARS and you have also posted the same thing on other boards for similar situations: wishing "comeuppance" on minor characters who aren't villains and are barely relevant to the film.

What's more bizarre than the fact that you repeatedly post the same silly ass comment for years on end and that you have a "comeuppance" fetish is the fact that you don't get it at all. Why should any of those people have anything bad happen to them because of how they treated Louis? That is EXACTLY how he always treated people before the experiment and he would have behaved the exact same way to any and all of them if the situation were reversed. That's the whole point.


"Your petty vengeance fetish will have to do withOUT Mr. Groin!"

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Daughter of Olaf is wound a little tight!

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Maybe, but the term "creepy word-boner" made me laugh..

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me too

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The idea was that they dropped Louis like a hot potato after he was framed by the Dukes. Once Louis realized they were snobs and wanted nothing to do with him, even when he became rich again, he wanted nothing to do with their snobbish behinds.

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I've thought it was great that Louis and Billy became friends and that Ophelia and Coleman got to join in on their friendship, I'm glad at least the Dukes and Beeks got their comeuppances which they've rightfully deserved, looking back I don't find Penelope and her snobby friends to be as bad compared to the Dukes and Beeks.

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Possessing as I do a filthy mind I'm certain Ophelia was better in bed!

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They have to live their lives, with their limited mentality. That's punishment.

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that sounds like a good comeuppance to me, hope it'll inspire them to become better people.

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Penelope got mugged, that guy really liked her purse!

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Well, it was a nice purse.

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Would have been funny to see them ejected from the country club after Winthorpe and Billy Ray made it into their ping ping room.

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