Twins
The central "gimmick" of the comedy-adventure Twins is established early on. Unbeknownst to one another, king-sized Arnold Schwarzenegger and gnomeish Danny De Vito are twin brothers. Even better: Schwarzenegger is a mild-mannered, bookish type, while De Vito is a vitriolic troublemaker. The film takes satiric jabs at the notion of "perfect" genetics, and makes several pointed comments concerning the dangers of youthful pre-conditioning by insensitive parents.
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger,Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb
Twins is not a great comedy - it's not up there with Reitman's "Ghostbusters" and DeVito is not as funny as he was in "Ruthless People" and "Wise Guys" - but it is an engaging entertainment with some big laughs and a sort of warm goofiness.
Twins starts with an overblown fairy-tale quality that seems as if it should work. But, by the finish, the movie collapses on the shoulders of the stars. It works because they both showed up and delivered the goods and kept their end of the deal.
For a big, floppy, silly movie that is in many ways the epitome of throwaway entertainment, Twins has its charms. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito make it seem they had so much fun making this flabby comedy that the fun becomes infectious.
Like it or not (it's hard to dislike), it's less a movie than a concept searching for one.
The attempts to supply heart are never more than synthetic, but Schwarzenegger, as the good guy with the good genes, and his goofy sweetness lift Twins into the win column.
Top Box Office Films
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards (1990)
Randy Edelman
BMI Film & TV Awards (1989)
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Golden Globes (1989)
Favorite Movie Actor
Kids' Choice Awards (1989)
Favorite Comedy Motion Picture
People's Choice Awards (1989)
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