It Takes Two (1995 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| It Takes Two | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Andy Tennant |
| Produced by | Mel Efros Keith Samples |
| Written by | Deborah Dean Davis |
| Starring | Mary-Kate Olsen Ashley Olsen Steve Guttenberg Kirstie Alley |
| Cinematography | Kenneth D. Zunder |
| Editing by | Roger Bondelli |
| Distributed by | - USA - Warner Bros. - non-USA - Rysher Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1995 |
| Running time | 101 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | How the West Was Fun |
| Followed by | Billboard Dad |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
It Takes Two was a 1995 film starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The movie title was taken from the song "It Takes Two", sung by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston. The song was featured prominently in the movie. It is based on the book Lottie and Lisa.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Two unrelated young girls happen to look identical and they suddenly meet. Amanda (Mary-Kate Olsen) is an orphan, and about to be adopted by a family whom she doesn't like. She actually wants her child-loving case worker Diane (Kirstie Alley) to adopt her instead. Diane would like the same thing but authorities will not let her, on behalf of her low salary. Alyssa Callaway (Ashley Olsen) is coming home from some piano playing competition, only to find that her wealthy father Roger (Steve Guttenberg) is about to marry Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett) who (secretely) hates kids and baseball (which Roger adores). The girls switch roles and find out that Diane and Roger would fit together perfectly. So they arrange "chance" meetings with the desired result: They fall in love with each other. After some turbulences, the wedding with Clarice is canceled at the last minute and all is well.
[edit] Taglines
- Two identical strangers. Two different worlds. One perfect match.
- When it comes to making the perfect match...Two heads are better than one! Especially if they look exactly alike.
[edit] Cast and character bios
- Amanda Lemmon (Mary-Kate Olsen) is an orphan girl who is pretty much a tomboy. She loves to play baseball and is just as good at it as any boy. She wants to be adopted by her caretaker, Diane, but the government won't allow it because Diane doesn't make enough money. Amanda switches lives with Alyssa Callaway and she realizes that she likes having a dad. She had to go to an engagement party for Roger and Clarice because they thought she was Alyssa.
- Alyssa Callaway (Ashley Olsen) is a rich girl and the daughter of Roger Callaway, the owner of the camp for the orphans. Alyssa is a very proper young lady. She won a trophy for playing the piano. Alyssa doesn't want her father to marry the wrong woman, Clarice Kensington, instead she wants her father to marry Diane. Alyssa switches places with Amanda and has to attend the orphan camp, Camp Callaway, that's owned by her father (also thought of by her late mother) because Diane didn't think that she could be anybody except Amanda.
- Roger Callaway (Steve Guttenberg) is a very wealthy man. He owns Camp Callaway and is residing in a vacation house across the lake from the camp. He spoils his daughter and tries hard to make her happy. He realizes that he doesn't love Clarice when he falls for the girls' plan and meets Diane. He tells Clarice that he can't marry her when they are at the alter.
- Diane Barrows (Kirstie Alley) takes care of the orphans. She especially loves Amanda and wants to adopt her. She gets mad when she finds out that another crazy family (particularly the Butkises) is able to adopt her. She wants to find love and when she meets Roger she knows that he is "the one." She finally gets her man at the end of the movie when she shows up at the wedding.
- Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett) is a golddigger, the anti-Diane, and she dislikes kids and baseball. She only wants to marry Roger for his money. She is very rude to people, especially Vincenzo. She is two-faced between Alyssa and Roger: when she is around Roger and Alyssa together, she is nice to both of them; however, when she is around Alyssa alone, she is mean to her, and threatening to send her to a Tibetan boarding school after the marriage. After she is rejected by Roger she tries to hit the girls, but she is stopped by Diane and Vincenzo. Furious, she storms out of the cathedral only to have her dress pulled down revealing her underwear.
- Vincenzo (Philip Bosco) is Roger's butler, best friend, and right-hand man. He is like a second father to Alyssa and knows everything about her, such that Amanda needs to show him the scars on her neck from a roman candle accident to prove to him she is not Alyssa.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Won - Nickelodeon Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen)
- Nominated - Nickelodeon Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress (Kirstie Alley)
- Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten (Ashley Olsen)
- Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten (Mary-Kate Olsen)
[edit] Movie reviews
- Anyone the age of Amanda and Alyssa will be able to figure out instantly that after the two girls cross paths, have fun and adventure exchanging lives, that they're going to play cupid. -Kevin Thomas (Los Angeles Times)
- Luckily, they're quite engaging: Kirstie Alley continues to be the robust girl next door with the big smile, Steve Guttenberg is likable in the Donald O'Connor role, and the Olsen twins, from TV's "Full House," play the two look-alikes - which is a relief, since it's always such a distraction when one actor plays a dual role and you have to spend the whole movie trying to spot the trick photography. -Roger Ebert
- It Takes Two doesn't miss any predictable modown. But us adults need to remember that children often like predictable movies, probably because they haven't sat through as many films as we have, and they can sense a happy ending. With only a couple of bad words and a bit of child intimidation from the bad guys, this movie will deliver some entertaining moments to your children. -Parent Previews
