Being a mega star takes a certain something that very few people have. People like Elvis, John or Paul, and Michael Jackson had “it” whatever “it” is. Now just imagine if all those people had a identical twin, would they also have that “it” factor, or would they be stuck playing the greatest impersonator of all time. Why come up with such a philosophical question, well that answer is simple, it is the synopsis for the new film “The Identical”.
The Hemsley’s are not doing to well in life, they are trying to find work and prepare for a family during the Great Depression. William Hemsley (Brian Geraghty) can’t find work, looking everywhere because he knows he will soon have an extra mouth to feed. The extra mouth soon becomes two as his wife gives birth to identical twins. Now knowing what to do, William stumbles in a church lead by Reece Wade (Ray Liotta) and with a stroke of luck, hears Preacher Wade tell a story of him and his wife Louise (Ashley Judd) inability to have children. William sees it as a sign and convinces his wife that they should give one of their sons to another ‘good’ family. Years pass, and the son the Hemsleys kept, becomes a huge recording star, while Ryan Wade (Blake Ryane), or the child that was given away has a love for music, but is being pushed by his father to follow his footsteps. Somewhere along the way he becomes the brother he doesn’t know number one impersonator, or as he is called The Identical.
When watching a movie, I can always find something good in it, no matter the film. As I watched “The Identical” the only thing I could come up with, is somewhere in the filmmaking process there might have been a good idea. The problem though is someone acted on that idea, and Howard Klausner wrote a screenplay on it. With a story that is confusing, mainly because no one ages except Ray Liotta, while Blake Ryane seems to look the same age the whole film. If the story wasn’t enough to make you question why this film exists, the music will push you over the edge. The music is all original, but the songs sound more like finger nails on a chalk board than actual music. Director Dustin Marcellino should have taken this story to the small screen in order to fill the many voids in the story. “The Identical” had the potential to explore a great what if, what if Elvis’s twin brother had lived and not been stillborn? What started out as a good idea took a real wrong turn somewhere and ended up as a not very good movie. I don’t know the audience the film was aiming for, but after watching this film, the only thing this movie is identical to, is a very bad dream .
Brian Taylor
