Twins (1988) - DVD Review

Film:
DVD:

Written by: William Davies, William Osborne, Timothy Harris, and Herschel Weingrod
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett, David Caruso, and Heather Graham

Released by: Universal
Region: 1
Rating: PG
Anamorphic: Alas, full frame only

My Advice: Skip it

Julius Benedict (Schwarzenegger) is the result of a genetics experiment. So is his twin brother, Vincent (DeVito). They were separated at birth. Julius was raised by a doctor on a remote island, and as such, he is incredibly smart, but not very streetwise. Vincent, on the other hand, was raised in an orphanage and has become quite good on the streets with little schooling at all. Julius is determined to find his long lost brother, so he makes his way to L.A. to look for him. He is not exactly ready for what he finds, but he loves his brother just the same.

This is one of those classic 80s movies that still gets a little airtime on cable. Ivan Reitman was involved in a number of some of that decade's most memorable movies, but this one is probably going to fall into the easily forgotten category. Ah-nold had just started to make his foray into the comedic genre, and the clothes weren't fitting him quite right yet. He did make some very good comedies, but his earlier ones were obvious. It wasn't until they started mixing a little comedy in with his action that his comedies really started taking off. Also, the better his English got the better his timing got, it seems. However, he and DeVito made an unlikely pair, but after all, that was the main premise of the movie. DeVito played the loveable sleezeball character that made him who he is today and he did it very well. There isn't a really much more that can be said about this one. It's kinda funny, and
that's all it was supposed to be.

The DVD is a real disappointment. First of all, it's not even available in a widescreen version. You get pan and scan only. Now, granted, Twins is not the first film that comes to mind when you think of the full-blown widescreen treatment, but still: friends don't let friends watch pan and scan. Once you realize you're not getting widescreen, it's pretty much a given that the disc is basically barren. I think it would have been interesting to get Reitman in for a commentary, now that the film is fifteen years behind him, just to get his thoughts. You're not likely to get DeVito or Schwarzenegger in for a sit-down to record something, but still, we can hope, right?

As it is, we have to live with nothing. That's why I'm recommending a skip on this one. The movie is just not good enough to buy a DVD with nothing extra-wise to back it up.

• Click here to buy it from Amazon.