“I did nothing. The pavement was his enemy.” —Julius Benedict
Today’s quick review: Twins. Julius Benedict (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the product of a genetic engineering program that made him a genius and a peak physical specimen. Raised in isolation, Julius ventures into Los Angeles when he learns that he has a twin brother: Vincent (Danny DeVito), a dishonest scoundrel with none of his brother’s gifts. As the two men get to know each other, they wind up taking a cross-country trip to search for their mother.
Twins is a buddy comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as an unlikely pair of brothers. Twins contrasts Julius’ optimism, intellect, and innocence about the world with Vincent’s cynicism, dirty dealing, and knack for getting into trouble. The film gets a fair amount of mileage out of this premise, using both DeVito and Schwarzenegger to good comedic effect. But its odd premise and eclectic plot make Twins something of a stretch.
Twins is at its best when it’s playing Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger off one another. DeVito’s Vincent is a liar and a thief with just enough charm to be likable. His attempts to take advantage of his newfound twin brother give the film both a reliable source of comedy and an emotional core for it to work with. The humor is unsophisticated but entertaining, primarily consisting of jokes about Julius’ size, his naivety, or Vincent’s hustles.
The downside of Twins’ premise is that it takes a lot of effort to set up. Twins goes to great lengths to establish Julius’ gifts, Vincent’s schemes, the program that made them, and the road trip that forms the second half of the movie. Murderous thugs, industrial espionage, long-kept secrets, and even a dash of romance all factor into Twins’ story. These never get in the way of the film’s comedy, but they do keep it from being elegant or cohesive.
Give Twins a shot when you’re in the mood for straightforward buddy humor with no strings attached. Twins has to work hard to make its jumble of ideas fit together, but the end result is a fun, serviceable comedy that’s far from spectacular but reaches its modest goals. Skip it if you’re looking for something highbrow or subtle. For a more raucous buddy comedy, try Kingpin. For one with more focus on action, try Rush Hour.
6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for decent comedy offset by an overly tangled story.