Carbon Copy (1981)

By r96sk

<em>'Carbon Copy'</em> is a Denzel Washington flick that only a few have apparently seen; just 2.9k watched on Letterboxd, for example. That's a surprise, as is the film itself frankly. It's a bit of a trip. I knew it'd be to do with race due to the poster/title, but it's the entire plot. I was getting major vibes of <em>'Trading Places'</em> throughout, there are plenty of differences, for sure, but the white guy's trajectory is fairly similar. That Landis flick came out just two years after this, curiously. As for how this deals with race, I think positively (albeit clumsily). Washington, in his proper movie debut, is standout. I wouldn't have predicted the phenomenal actor that he'd soon become based on this performance, but there is enough to show his acting prowess. George Segal is just as good as Denzel, the two share solid comedic chemistry. It is amusing, I found myself chuckling. The plot is ludicrous but it's never portrayed not to be just that, in fairness. I did enjoy it, as bizarre as it is (how about that opening scene!). It does have an old TV sitcom feel to it, largely thanks to a catchy score (by a certain Bill Conti). "Not aged the best"/"couldn't make it nowadays" and all that. Still, it did entertain me for (a well chosen run time of) 90 minutes.