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Twins
Ivan Reitman, director of Stripes and Ghostbusters triumphed again with a 1988 comedy called Twins that explores the often maligned theory of the cosmic connection between twin siblings and does it in a manner that provides solid entertainment with the help of a clever story and a pair of terrific lead performances.
It is revealed that through a genetic experiment 35 years ago, a woman named Marianne Benedict was implanted with an embryo created with six different fathers in an attempt to create the perfect human being. Unfortunately, the embryo split somewhere during the process and the children, with the help of environment and separate upbringing, became very different people.
Julius (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) was raised on a beautiful tropic island near Fiji where he received intense physical training and the finest education. He is socially naive, completely oblivious to life outside of the island where he was raised and a virgin. When Julius learns the story of his birth, he leaves the island to find his mother and his twin brother Vincent (Danny DeVito), a degenerate womanizing gambler who steals cars and is into some serious thugs for about $20,000. Vincent steals the wrong car and Julius insists they find their mother. initiating a road trip that involves adventure, danger, and romance.
Reitman's evocative directorial hand is to be applauded for bringing credibility to this often hard-to-believe story by never forgetting the through line of the story...the cosmic connection between twins and its legitimacy. Reitman never allows the viewer to forget that these leading characters are truly twins who truly feel each other. There is a terrific moment near the beginning of the film where the twins are standing right next to each other before they have even met and they both scratch themselves in the exact same place. There's a scene in the final act where Vincent spills coffee on his hand and Julius suddenly starts wiggling his fingers. It's little moments like this that make any doubts about the credibility of the story a moot point.
Reitman was given a big budget to make this story work and that's all he does with it...serves a slightly complicated screenplay that never causes viewer incomprehension or impatience. We love Julius from the minute we meet him and we learn to love Vincent, but more than anything, we want to see these twins be a family and want to believe that connection really exists. Schwarzeneggar has never been more endearing onscreen in a role like nothing he had done before and DeVito's Vincent has some layers we really don't expect from the actor. Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb are decorative and fun romantic interests and there's a terrific cameo from 60's television icon Hugh O'Brian as one of the six fathers. And if you don't blink, you'll catch a very young David Caruso playing a parking garage attendant. After four previous viewings, this movie remains fresh and funny and kept me grinning for the entire running time.
Ivan Reitman, director of Stripes and Ghostbusters triumphed again with a 1988 comedy called Twins that explores the often maligned theory of the cosmic connection between twin siblings and does it in a manner that provides solid entertainment with the help of a clever story and a pair of terrific lead performances.
It is revealed that through a genetic experiment 35 years ago, a woman named Marianne Benedict was implanted with an embryo created with six different fathers in an attempt to create the perfect human being. Unfortunately, the embryo split somewhere during the process and the children, with the help of environment and separate upbringing, became very different people.
Julius (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) was raised on a beautiful tropic island near Fiji where he received intense physical training and the finest education. He is socially naive, completely oblivious to life outside of the island where he was raised and a virgin. When Julius learns the story of his birth, he leaves the island to find his mother and his twin brother Vincent (Danny DeVito), a degenerate womanizing gambler who steals cars and is into some serious thugs for about $20,000. Vincent steals the wrong car and Julius insists they find their mother. initiating a road trip that involves adventure, danger, and romance.
Reitman's evocative directorial hand is to be applauded for bringing credibility to this often hard-to-believe story by never forgetting the through line of the story...the cosmic connection between twins and its legitimacy. Reitman never allows the viewer to forget that these leading characters are truly twins who truly feel each other. There is a terrific moment near the beginning of the film where the twins are standing right next to each other before they have even met and they both scratch themselves in the exact same place. There's a scene in the final act where Vincent spills coffee on his hand and Julius suddenly starts wiggling his fingers. It's little moments like this that make any doubts about the credibility of the story a moot point.
Reitman was given a big budget to make this story work and that's all he does with it...serves a slightly complicated screenplay that never causes viewer incomprehension or impatience. We love Julius from the minute we meet him and we learn to love Vincent, but more than anything, we want to see these twins be a family and want to believe that connection really exists. Schwarzeneggar has never been more endearing onscreen in a role like nothing he had done before and DeVito's Vincent has some layers we really don't expect from the actor. Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb are decorative and fun romantic interests and there's a terrific cameo from 60's television icon Hugh O'Brian as one of the six fathers. And if you don't blink, you'll catch a very young David Caruso playing a parking garage attendant. After four previous viewings, this movie remains fresh and funny and kept me grinning for the entire running time.