IT TAKES TWO A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Last year's IT TAKES TWO is yet another cinematic retelling of Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper." Since it is such a sweet and classic tale, it is a natural for producers looking for a safe film. Here we have the fraternal twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the lead roles. Mary-Kate is a streetwise orphan named Amanda Lemmon whereas Ashley plays a billionaire's daughter by the name of Alyssa Callaway.
The short setup for the plot is that Amanda is about to be adopted by the horrible Butkus family who collect children, but not if her social worker Diane Barrows (Kirstie Alley) can stop it. Meanwhile back at the mansion, Alyssa has her own set of problems. Her wonderful father Roger (Steve Guttenberg) is about to marry blond airhead and fortune seeker Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett). Clarice hates kids, but Roger is oblivious to this fault. Roger's butler Vincenzo (Philip Bosco) does not like Clarice either.
What makes the show bearable is that the kids look exactly alike, and they change places with each trying to help the other out of their predicament. As you can guess, their driving ambition is to get Roger and Diane to fall in love and get married so they will be sisters.
Although the script by Deborah Dean Davis and Jeff Schecter is pedestrian, it does have its good lines. Amanda describes the troubles of an older child getting adopted as, "The orphan stuff is like growing up in a pound. Everybody wants a puppy." Roger has an usual explanation on how he got his fortune telling Diane, "I made my money the old fashion way - pure dumb luck." Diane does not believe she has a chance with Roger, reflecting, "Guys like him like girls with food names like Cookie or Muffin or Candy, not girls like me."
There is little original in the film. Most scenes you have seen countless times before. They even have an old fashion food fight. I thought everyone had gotten tired of seeing them by now.
The acting is perfectly acceptable with no outstanding good or bad performances. The movie takes no risks, but for kids wanting a fun little show and for parents wanting something non-offensive, IT TAKES TWO fills the bill. If you rent it with suitably low expectations, you may be surprised by it. I should point out that this is director Andy Tennant's first foray into directing theatrical movies. He has done four made-for-TV movies, but probably the only one you have heard of is THE AMY FISHER STORY which bears no resemblance to this show.
IT TAKES TWO runs a little long at 1:41. It is rated PG because they used a few mild swear words to keep the film from getting the dreaded G rating. Producers believe that G ratings mean less take at the box office. There is no violence, sex, or nudity. You could let kids of any age see this show as there is nothing to offend. My son Jeffrey (age 7) and I watched it on tape the other night. He liked it, but there isn't enough there for me to recommend it. I do give the film ** for its sweetness, but I wish the filmmakers had taken some risks and come up with a more involving show. Wholesomeness is just not enough.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: July 2, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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