Twins
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett, David Caruso
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) designed to be the perfect human specimen goes in search of his younger twin brother (Danny DeVito), who got the shallow end of the gene pool.

Review:

Tim: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play twin brothers. That alone would be enough to get me to see this movie, whether I knew anything else about it. That's a hilarious concept, and I love that it serves as the central premise of this film. It helps that Ivan Reitman directs a warm, funny, occasionally touching comedy here. This is a really, really good movie.

I first saw this movie when I was six or seven years old, and I enjoyed it then, much as I do now (although I hope my level of enjoyment today is derived from a deeper, more sophisticated level of understanding!). This is a fun, enjoyable movie. Sometimes you watch a truly great movie that isn't much fun. This movie might just miss out on greatness, but it was incredibly enjoyable to watch.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito make a great pairing. I loved that Schwarzenegger changed things up with this comedic role. He seemed really comfortable just being goofy throughout this film. For someone who plays very serious roles, it was so refreshing to see him play this part and not be afraid to laugh at himself. Schwarzenegger just seems like a big, naive teddy bear here, and it was fun watching him in that role. Danny DeVito plays his slightly younger brother, and DeVito was a great choice for the street smart, sleazy small time crook. They couldn't be more different, and it was fun to see them play up those differences while also showing how the two were incredibly similar (they are brothers, after all). I loved their interactions together.

This film is not just a lighthearted comedy. I loved that the script dove into some deeper issues about family. There's a few moments when I really felt for DeVito's character. His brother was nurtured, love, educated, and supported throughout his entire life. DeVito was abandoned, forced to fend for himself. There's some interesting ideas about nature verses nurture that emerge from this film. When DeVito slowly starts realizing what it means to have a brother, and be part of a family, well, I felt some real emotion during those moments. Yes, this is a silly comedy ("Now there's a man with a lot on his mind!"), but it has a powerful message in it as well.

This film has some really funny, memorable moment sprinkled throughout. I still love when Schwarzenegger and DeVito buy matching suits and strut down the street in them. The scene where Schwarzenegger drives a car on two wheels is pretty memorable. I certainly laughed when Schwarzenegger compares his muscles to a poster of Sylvester Stallone as Rambo and laughs at the comparison. DeVito has quite a few funny wisecracks as well. The movie is just a pleasant, fun film.

I really like Twins. It's a very funny 80's comedy that works because of the performances of its two leads (Kelly Preston isn't too bad, either). This is a movie that benefited from a wonderful premise, but it was well executed by Reitman. I admit that some of the most action-oriented scenes are a little flat, but as a whole, this is a very good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Jingle All the Way, Romancing the Stone