In comparison with Rear Window, this Patrick Dennis title is pretty standard fare - but in comparison with most of what's on the market today, it more than holds its own.  Like Piecework, Trading Up is a star vehicle, but unlike Piecework it lacks a star.  Scott Martin ain't no Jason Ross - and, in all likelihood, never will be.  True, he is attractive and sexually versatile - but he handles dialogue with diffidence and generates no magic in front of the camera.

The plot centers on a tried-and-true servant (Martin) who suffers through his master's (Slater's) affairs with a series of money-grubbing airheads (Chris McKenzie is delightful as the current bimbo).  The happy ending is a tad too predictable - and I suspect most viewers will agree with me that Slater was better off with McKenzie.

But the best performance is from newcomer Johnny Rahm, who, in spite of his total irrelevance to the main plot, steals the show hands down, no contest.  Here is a star already at home with dialogue, flashing a ball-busting smile, and boasting a sense of timing that would make a stand-up comic proud.  If he had been given Martin's role, the mind boggles at what might have been!

Absurd packaging - Martin is wearing more lipstick than Marilyn Monroe.