James Eckhouse

Defending Your Life (1991)

Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) isn’t having a good week. For starters, he died after he got hit by a bus. Then he discovers that in the afterlife, he must defend his actions on Earth in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence. While awaiting judgment, he falls in love with Julia (Meryl Streep), whose near-perfect life on Earth seemingly makes her a shoo-in for ascension. However, Daniel’s actions in his lifetime might not be enough for him to move on.

Trading Places (1983)

Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). An employee of the Dukes, Winthorpe is framed by the brothers for a crime he didn’t commit, with the siblings then installing the street-smart Valentine in his position. When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes.