Two of a Kind (1983 film)
Two of a Kind | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Herzfeld |
Written by | John Herzfeld |
Produced by | Roger M. Rothstein Joe Wizan |
Starring | |
Cinematography | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date | December 16, 1983 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $14 million[1] |
Box office | $23,646,952 |
Two of a Kind is a 1983 American
Plot
Four
God agrees to the scheme, and the typical Earth man selected by the angels is Zack Melon (John Travolta), a failed inventor who, threatened by loan sharks, decides to hold up a bank. Zack points his gun at bank teller Debbie Wylder (Olivia Newton-John), who ostensibly gives him all the money. However, when Zack peers into the sack after the robbery, he sees that Debbie has substituted bank deposit slips for the cash and has kept the money for herself. Zack tracks her down to reclaim his stolen money. While dodging the loan sharks and the evil interventions of the Devil (Oliver Reed), the two come to develop a romantic relationship which is put to the test when they are threatened by a masked thug.
Cast
- John Travolta as Zack Melon
- Olivia Newton-John as Debbie Wylder
- Charles Durning as Charlie
- Oliver Reed as Beasley/The Devil
- Beatrice Straight as Ruth
- Scatman Crothers as Earl
- Richard Bright as Stuart
- Toni Kalem as Terri
- Ernie Hudson as Detective Skaggs
- Jack Kehoe as Mr. Chotiner
- Robert Costanzo as Captain Cinzari
- Castulo Guerraas Gonzales
- Gene Hackman as God (uncredited)
Filming
The film was originally called Second Chance and was to be directed by Richard Rush.[2]
Director John Herzfeld explained in an interview with Sylvester Stallone that the original cut of the film was considered to be too controversial and included Orson Welles as God. The interview is a special feature on the Blu-ray for Herzfeld's 2 Days in the Valley released by Kino Lorber. Herzfeld said the original cut was never screened for test audiences and upon studio alterations, Gene Hackman was brought in to replace Welles and record new audio for the re-edited film.
Newton-John recorded a song "Twist of Fate" which was played over the end credits. It proved so popular on radio that release of the film was delayed to redo the film's soundtrack.[4]
Reception
Roger Ebert gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "The romance, alas, never really gets airborne, if only because John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and the plot are followed everywhere by countless unnecessary supporting characters."[5] Janet Maslin of The New York Times asked, "Can it really have been that difficult to find a passable screen vehicle for John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John? Any old romantic fluff should have sufficed, and yet something as horrible as 'Two of a Kind' has been tailor-made for its stars. The results are so disastrous that absolutely no one is shown off to good advantage, with the possible exception of the hairdressers involved."[6] Todd McCarthy of Variety slammed the film as "an embarrassment of the first order ... Aside from the presence of the two stars, confection has all the earmarks of a bargain-basement job."[7]
Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that director John Herzfeld "has placed one of America's favorite fantasy couples in a gimmick-filled story that requires the almost-constant presence of seven of the dullest supporting characters you'll ever meet. That's too bad, because whenever Newton-John and Travolta are on screen together, 'Two of a Kind' flashes with a spark of entertainment, and you want to tell them to get up and go to another film where they can have a long talk or makeout scene together."[8]
Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times said that with "flaccid direction, ugly photography and performances that rely on charm generated a few movies ago (and sealed in plastic), you have reason enough to give 'Two of a Kind' a wide berth."[9] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post wrote, "The acting's not all that bad, but the script is."[10]
FilmInk magazine later wrote the two stars "really shouldn’t have been so snobby about Grease 2 if this is what they did instead."[11]
Two of a Kind was nominated for five
As of November 2022, the film holds a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews.[13]
Soundtrack
The film was salvaged by a platinum soundtrack which yielded three singles for Newton-John:
- "Twist of Fate" - No. 5 Pop (her last of 15 Top 10 Pop hits)
- "Take a Chance" (duet with John Travolta) - No. 3 AC (B-side to "Twist of Fate")
- "Livin' in Desperate Times" - No. 31 Pop
The album was further bolstered by featuring "Ask the Lonely", a song which the rock group
References
- ^ Daily Variety. p. 3.
- ^ FILM CLIPS: HOW LONG IS A SPOCK SPAN? NOBODY KNOWS FILM CLIPS: HOW LONG A SPOCK SPAN? Boyer, Peter J. Los Angeles Times 30 Oct 1981: h1.
- ^ Two of a Kind at the American Film Institute Catalog
- ^ FILM CLIPS: CUBA-BORN ACTOR A 'SCARFACE' HIT FILM CLIPS: BAUER SCORES IN 'SCARFACE' London, Michael. Los Angeles Times 16 Dec 1983: m1.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 20, 1983). "Two of a Kind Movie Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (December 16, 1983). "The Screen: Travolta in 'Two of Kind'". The New York Times. C12.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (December 21, 1983). "Film Reviews: Two Of A Kind". Variety. p. 14.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (December 16, 1983). "Lack of togetherness an un-'Kind' cut for fans of John and Olivia". Chicago Tribune. p. 1 of Section 5.
- ^ Benson, Sheila (December 19, 1983). "'Kind' Decks the Screen with Bouts of Folly". Los Angeles Times. p. 1 of Part VI.
- ^ Kempley, Rita (December 23, 1983). "'Two of a Kind': A Sorry Pairing". The Washington Post. p. 15 (Weekend).
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (February 3, 2020). "Top 10 Unmemorable Films Starring Legendary Screen Couples". Filmink.
- ^ "1983 6th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ 'Two of a Kind'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ "R&R Radios and Records" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-02-08.