It Takes Two (1995) Kirstie Alley, Steve Guttenberg, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen Movie Review

It Takes Two (1995)   3/53/53/53/53/5


It Takes Two (1995) Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen

The Olsens Set a Parent Trap

Young orphan Amanda Lemmon (Mary-Kate Olsen) is at summer camp with all the other orphans which is across the lake from the Callaway mansion where the well to do Alyssa Callaway (Ashley Olsen) lives with her widowed father. When Amanda and Alyssa accidentally meet they are shocked to discover that they are identical and decide to switch places so that they can see how the other half lives. But they also team up to stop Alyssa's father Roger (Steve Guttenberg) from marrying the catty Clarice (Jane Sibbett) and instead try to set him up with Diane (Kirstie Alley) who runs the orphanage.

So the mid 90s saw the young Olsen twins wheeled out in this take on "The Parent Trap" but one which is blended with a touch of "The Prince and the Pauper". It is a mix which works well as whilst as a grown up you can see what it has cherry picked from each story the blend of trying to prevent one wedding and setting two people up to fall in love combined with the comedy of switching places still makes you smile.

For me much of what makes this work is in fact the casting of Kirstie Alley and Steve Guttenberg because they deliver the comedy more than the young Olsen twins. Although I would imagine back in 1995 young audiences would have enjoyed the comedy of the Olsens playing opposite characters, one posh the other more rough and ready.

What this all boils down to is that "It Takes Two" is for grown ups a familiar movie especially for grown ups who will recognize the story. But it is also a fun movie with something for everyone with Kirstie Alley and Steve Guttenberg providing the fun for adults.


LATEST REVIEWS