3. Trading Places
The film on this list that does the best job of showing both sides of the capitalist coin. The overall message is actually rather cynical of the whole system - good for some, not so good for others, easily exploitable and shallow. And it has to be said, the two ultra-capitalists in this film are not admirable people. They like to conduct human experiments and place wagers on the outcome. Luckily, this particular experiment works out rather well for Eddie Murphy (who is to be made a 'gentleman'). Less so for Dan Aykroyd (who is to be made a 'bum'). The more socially liberal of the two rich folk believes Eddie Murphy can be made into a model employee if he is given ample opportunity, and that, if all privilege is taken away, Dan Aykroyd will descend into criminality. It's an interesting social experiment that also makes for a very funny film. And it does show the potential materialistic upsides of capitalism, which is why I've included it. It also however shows its fickle nature. Everything you take for granted can be taken away from you in a moment. So enjoy it while it lasts. At the end we also learn that pure capitalism is absolute bloody chaos.