As a Christmas special, this episode is a fairly good movie in its own right. Regarded by David Jason as one of his favourites, we get a wonderful combination of British humour and authentic American dialogue which sometimes serves to comedically confuse the characters who couldn't be further apart in terms of lifestyle and - at times - the English language. The mafia heavies are brilliantly cast, believable and not overplayed or terribly exaggerated as you might expect from an English writer writing for Americans. John Sullivan was able to get it right here. David Jason's excellent portrayal of the sinister but likeable character, Don Ochetti, is just enough to take the episode from being an idea on paper as perhaps being rather silly, to an enjoyable and not to mention funny movie that is quite believable but more importantly a lot of fun. If you haven't seen this episode, or you haven't revisited it for a while, do so. It's worth the hour and a bit.
10 Reviews
Great Episode
ryanclark-4727330 January 2021
"Miami Here We Come"
ygwerin114 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Instead of the young Trotters Rodney and Cassandra, being able to jet off to sea and sun. Rod The Div instead gets lumbered, with his shyster brother Del.
The Trotters brothers don't even have genuine, accommodation and transport included. Instead weeler dealer whizz kid Del, has done another of his luvvly jubbly deals involving self catering.
Arriving in the sunshine state despite Del's protestations of being better behaved, they nip into a night club.
As typical foreign tourists the Trotters get turned over losing virtually everything, just when they believed things could scarcely get worse, their fortunes changed.
For a wide awake lad from the mean streets of Peckham, Del Trotter proved himself far less adroit in spotting an American wrong'un.
The Trotter brothers got literally taken in by winding up lodgers, of the most unlikely of hosts.
Derek Trotter had his own devious rationale for inveigling himself in on this jaunt, but his capacity for getting himself into lumber is surpassed in this instance.
The Boyce's are jetting off to the sun vainly imagining that they, have left all of Peckham far behind them.
Boycie, Marlene and Tyler could hardly expect to meet up, with anyone from the Nags Head in the Florida Swamps.
The Trotters brothers don't even have genuine, accommodation and transport included. Instead weeler dealer whizz kid Del, has done another of his luvvly jubbly deals involving self catering.
Arriving in the sunshine state despite Del's protestations of being better behaved, they nip into a night club.
As typical foreign tourists the Trotters get turned over losing virtually everything, just when they believed things could scarcely get worse, their fortunes changed.
For a wide awake lad from the mean streets of Peckham, Del Trotter proved himself far less adroit in spotting an American wrong'un.
The Trotter brothers got literally taken in by winding up lodgers, of the most unlikely of hosts.
Derek Trotter had his own devious rationale for inveigling himself in on this jaunt, but his capacity for getting himself into lumber is surpassed in this instance.
The Boyce's are jetting off to the sun vainly imagining that they, have left all of Peckham far behind them.
Boycie, Marlene and Tyler could hardly expect to meet up, with anyone from the Nags Head in the Florida Swamps.
Classic comedy pure and simple!
movieguy963 August 2021
Given its scale Miami Twice deserves to be watched on DVD in movie form (preferably late at night) unbroken with The American Dream serving as the prologue. On Gold you have the ads diminishing its effect and giving it a more televised episodic feel, and on BBC and other streaming services they've trimmed out the laugh track as well as a few funny scenes of dialogue which add context and pace.
Suffice to say Miami Twice is the "crème de la menthe" of Only Fools and Horses, and more than anything showcases John Sullivan's genius as a writer, for stepping outside the boundaries of Peckham and delivering an hilarious comedy which works as its own standalone film.
The American Dream is your more typical Only Fools... fare and is quite a quaint set-up for probably one of the best 'fish out of water'/gangster parody movies I've seen (no that's not a hyperbole). Del Boy and Rodney go on holiday to Miami, where Del makes no attempt whatsoever at immersing himself and sticks out like a sore thumb; he's then (unknowingly) drawn into a plot to have him killed by the son of a mob boss who's Del's exact double, with the intention to fool the authorities and take the heat off said mob boss who's about to go to jail for various crimes.
The mob are given their moments of comic relief but by and large are quite threatening, so despite their comedically-staged failed attempts at bumping off Del you do get a feeling the Trotters are in danger which adds a (albeit slight) sense of urgency. This really elevated the movie for me, as well as my allegiance to Del and Rodney, the latter of whom returns back to his affable self after the previous series where he acts like an immature brat during his rocky road with Cassandra.
Sullivan's sharp script and well realised Mafioso world is complimented by superior production values, some very witty direction, and a great soundtrack, which might sound odd giving this is meant to be a throwaway Christmas special, but the crew seem to have really invested, and have complete confidence, in the movie which pays off. In lesser hands all of this could've come across as pure farce, but it's pitched perfectly, without any crass slapstick and with Del and Rodney's relationship forming the heart of the film.
A shout out should also go to David Jason who's commendable in the dual role of Del and mob boss Don Occhetti; once you get past the initial novelty he actually really convinces in both roles, all with just a subtle change in demeanour and facial expression, so much so you feel he's equally suited to both The Nag's Head and the Miami drug scene!
Despite what a couple of detractors have said about the movie I think it boasts some of the best gags, and comedy in general, that I've seen from Only Fools..., and its quirky quality makes it impossible to resist. It's an absolute riot from start to finish and solidifies Only Fools' place as one the greatest British comedy series!
Suffice to say Miami Twice is the "crème de la menthe" of Only Fools and Horses, and more than anything showcases John Sullivan's genius as a writer, for stepping outside the boundaries of Peckham and delivering an hilarious comedy which works as its own standalone film.
The American Dream is your more typical Only Fools... fare and is quite a quaint set-up for probably one of the best 'fish out of water'/gangster parody movies I've seen (no that's not a hyperbole). Del Boy and Rodney go on holiday to Miami, where Del makes no attempt whatsoever at immersing himself and sticks out like a sore thumb; he's then (unknowingly) drawn into a plot to have him killed by the son of a mob boss who's Del's exact double, with the intention to fool the authorities and take the heat off said mob boss who's about to go to jail for various crimes.
The mob are given their moments of comic relief but by and large are quite threatening, so despite their comedically-staged failed attempts at bumping off Del you do get a feeling the Trotters are in danger which adds a (albeit slight) sense of urgency. This really elevated the movie for me, as well as my allegiance to Del and Rodney, the latter of whom returns back to his affable self after the previous series where he acts like an immature brat during his rocky road with Cassandra.
Sullivan's sharp script and well realised Mafioso world is complimented by superior production values, some very witty direction, and a great soundtrack, which might sound odd giving this is meant to be a throwaway Christmas special, but the crew seem to have really invested, and have complete confidence, in the movie which pays off. In lesser hands all of this could've come across as pure farce, but it's pitched perfectly, without any crass slapstick and with Del and Rodney's relationship forming the heart of the film.
A shout out should also go to David Jason who's commendable in the dual role of Del and mob boss Don Occhetti; once you get past the initial novelty he actually really convinces in both roles, all with just a subtle change in demeanour and facial expression, so much so you feel he's equally suited to both The Nag's Head and the Miami drug scene!
Despite what a couple of detractors have said about the movie I think it boasts some of the best gags, and comedy in general, that I've seen from Only Fools..., and its quirky quality makes it impossible to resist. It's an absolute riot from start to finish and solidifies Only Fools' place as one the greatest British comedy series!
Different, But One Of The Best !!!!
awd161113 May 2021
Very different episode to the rest, but I love it, it's amazing !!!
Really shows off David Jason's wide range of acting skills, playing the part of a Donochetti the head of mafia family....... and pulls it off with humour.
Really shows off David Jason's wide range of acting skills, playing the part of a Donochetti the head of mafia family....... and pulls it off with humour.
Not awful, but lacks the magic of other specials.
BrickNash31 October 2020
On paper this sounds like a brilliant idea and a very funny one at that. However, there's just something missing from this particular installment.
It's fine for the first half of the part one as it's still set in Peckham and has all the familiar characters and settings, but things take a bit of a nosedive when they get to Miami. It's not that there's much wrong with the production, but it just doesn't feel like an Only Fools and Horses episode. It borrows gags from previous episodes such Del on the Jet ski, which is very similar to Del on the hang-glider, and the American cast seem uncomfortable with the blatantly British writing.
As an actor, this must have been a Golden opportunity for David Jason to play Duel roles, and as stated, on paper it's a great idea. However, in execution it's hokey, and Jason's accent slips more than a few times when portraying the Don which kid of breaks the suspension of disbelief.
I mean, it's certainly not a "bad" installment, but it's one which I find myself skipping when on a binge, and I much prefer the infinitely Better "Mother Nature's Son" episode which came after this one.
By all means watch it, but there's better episodes out there.
It's fine for the first half of the part one as it's still set in Peckham and has all the familiar characters and settings, but things take a bit of a nosedive when they get to Miami. It's not that there's much wrong with the production, but it just doesn't feel like an Only Fools and Horses episode. It borrows gags from previous episodes such Del on the Jet ski, which is very similar to Del on the hang-glider, and the American cast seem uncomfortable with the blatantly British writing.
As an actor, this must have been a Golden opportunity for David Jason to play Duel roles, and as stated, on paper it's a great idea. However, in execution it's hokey, and Jason's accent slips more than a few times when portraying the Don which kid of breaks the suspension of disbelief.
I mean, it's certainly not a "bad" installment, but it's one which I find myself skipping when on a binge, and I much prefer the infinitely Better "Mother Nature's Son" episode which came after this one.
By all means watch it, but there's better episodes out there.
Only Fools and Horses: The Cartoon Series
phantom_tollbooth20 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Miami Twice is the sort of episode you absolutely love as a kid, and boy, did I love this as a kid! A big, outlandish concept executed with a wilful disregard for credibility and a growing emphasis on slapstick, Miami Twice could hardly have been more different from the previous Christmas special Rodney Come Home. Through adult eyes, this comparison highlights the problem with Miami Twice. Once you've done something this wild and it is accepted as canon, it does rather undermine the more realistic elements of the series if you let those thoughts creep in. When Del comforts Rodney after Cassandra's miscarriage in a later episode, those are the same characters who were once pursued through the Everglades by mobsters, one of whom was Del's exact double, before being terrorised by a crocodile and rescued by Boycie and Marlene who just happen to be passing by. By the time Boycie and Marlene arrive, John Sullivan has clearly deliberately abandoned any pretence of realism and is encouraging the audience to just go with it. For Miami Twice to work at all, you have to divorce it from the rest of the series entirely. This is Only Fools and Horses the cartoon series.
Having delivered seven emotionally charged episodes of at least 50 minutes in length over the previous year, it felt like Sullivan had earned the right to have a bit of fun with his Christmas episode and this manifests in his desire to write a gangster film. Miami Twice is actually two episodes, with the first taking place in Peckham and shot like a normal 50 minute episode, and the second set largely in Miami and shot like a proper feature film, with a 95 minute runtime and using film instead of videotape, as had been the case on previous Christmas special To Hull and Back. The first part was shown on Christmas Eve and is quite good, following the Christening of Del and Raquel's son Damien and the continued marital problems of Cassandra and Rodney. It establishes Del's reasons for wanting to get out of the country for a while and Sullivan has a lot of fun in showing him manipulate everyone in order to achieve this. In particular, a scene where Del and Albert try and convince Raquel that Del should go on holiday with Rodney capitalises on the excellent partnership of David Jason and Buster Merryfield which previously worked so well in Rodney Come Home. But when you think about it a bit more (something Miami Twice is at pains to convince you not to do), Del's behaviour here is barely less mean than it is in the infamous A Royal Flush and, having spent the duration of Rodney Come Home trying to save his brother's marriage, here he puts it in serious danger and also seems to set Rodney up for extra humiliation for no reason whatsoever. In this respect, the first part of Miami Twice is a little harder to stomach than I recalled.
And then we get to that second part. This was chosen by David Jason as his favourite episode but I think he might be confusing quality with how much fun he had making it. With explicit nods to The Godfather, Jason plays mafia boss Don Ochetti who happens to be Del's exact double. Jason is clearly having fun with the role but he plays it rather terribly. Though his ability to change his body language between the two characters is impressive, his accent wavers all over the place and his sub-Brando impression pushes the silliness right up to breaking point. In keeping with the daft premise, Sullivan wilfully adjusts his writing to be broader, with lots of physical comedy and broad stereotypes (not to mention a surprisingly heightened level of homophobia). It's enjoyable for a while on a very basic level but when some bright spark decided to edit the two parts of Miami Twice together for VHS release, they added a laugh track to the second part to maintain continuity. This only highlights how unfunny much of the second half is, seemingly made more for silly thrills than big laughs.
Miami Twice doesn't really stick to its own rules, with a plot to assassinate Del in public to make it appear Don Ochetti is dead quickly collapsing after one failed attempt. The subsequent attempt on Del's life involves a jet ski with a deliberately broken throttle, no witnesses whatsoever and an apparent gamble that his body will be fished out of the ocean and not lost forever. But quibbling about narrative coherence feels pointless with this kind of episode. You'll either enjoy seeing Del and Rodney dropped into a gangster epic or you won't. I once loved every minute of it but as an adult I did find my attention wandering, especially after the emotionally engaging specials I watched immediately before it. I guess the best I can say about Miami Twice is that it goes so over-the-top that it is easy to disassociate from the rest of the series, unlike those final three Christmas specials that damagingly rewrote a perfect ending.
Having delivered seven emotionally charged episodes of at least 50 minutes in length over the previous year, it felt like Sullivan had earned the right to have a bit of fun with his Christmas episode and this manifests in his desire to write a gangster film. Miami Twice is actually two episodes, with the first taking place in Peckham and shot like a normal 50 minute episode, and the second set largely in Miami and shot like a proper feature film, with a 95 minute runtime and using film instead of videotape, as had been the case on previous Christmas special To Hull and Back. The first part was shown on Christmas Eve and is quite good, following the Christening of Del and Raquel's son Damien and the continued marital problems of Cassandra and Rodney. It establishes Del's reasons for wanting to get out of the country for a while and Sullivan has a lot of fun in showing him manipulate everyone in order to achieve this. In particular, a scene where Del and Albert try and convince Raquel that Del should go on holiday with Rodney capitalises on the excellent partnership of David Jason and Buster Merryfield which previously worked so well in Rodney Come Home. But when you think about it a bit more (something Miami Twice is at pains to convince you not to do), Del's behaviour here is barely less mean than it is in the infamous A Royal Flush and, having spent the duration of Rodney Come Home trying to save his brother's marriage, here he puts it in serious danger and also seems to set Rodney up for extra humiliation for no reason whatsoever. In this respect, the first part of Miami Twice is a little harder to stomach than I recalled.
And then we get to that second part. This was chosen by David Jason as his favourite episode but I think he might be confusing quality with how much fun he had making it. With explicit nods to The Godfather, Jason plays mafia boss Don Ochetti who happens to be Del's exact double. Jason is clearly having fun with the role but he plays it rather terribly. Though his ability to change his body language between the two characters is impressive, his accent wavers all over the place and his sub-Brando impression pushes the silliness right up to breaking point. In keeping with the daft premise, Sullivan wilfully adjusts his writing to be broader, with lots of physical comedy and broad stereotypes (not to mention a surprisingly heightened level of homophobia). It's enjoyable for a while on a very basic level but when some bright spark decided to edit the two parts of Miami Twice together for VHS release, they added a laugh track to the second part to maintain continuity. This only highlights how unfunny much of the second half is, seemingly made more for silly thrills than big laughs.
Miami Twice doesn't really stick to its own rules, with a plot to assassinate Del in public to make it appear Don Ochetti is dead quickly collapsing after one failed attempt. The subsequent attempt on Del's life involves a jet ski with a deliberately broken throttle, no witnesses whatsoever and an apparent gamble that his body will be fished out of the ocean and not lost forever. But quibbling about narrative coherence feels pointless with this kind of episode. You'll either enjoy seeing Del and Rodney dropped into a gangster epic or you won't. I once loved every minute of it but as an adult I did find my attention wandering, especially after the emotionally engaging specials I watched immediately before it. I guess the best I can say about Miami Twice is that it goes so over-the-top that it is easy to disassociate from the rest of the series, unlike those final three Christmas specials that damagingly rewrote a perfect ending.
One to avoid
Aroura6418 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Having read the previous review, it might be sacrilegious to say anything negative about Sir David Jason's favourite episode. But it has to be said, that this is one of the worst episodes in the entire series.
This two part Christmas special does not begin well, Del and Raquel are attending their son Damien's Christening. Del Boy is a mostly brilliant character, but in part one of this episode, he is very unlikable. He sees a business opportunity at the Christening, and proceeds to conduct a deal with the vicar, which is in very poor taste (if you have seen the episode, you will recognise the irony!)
He treats Rodney appallingly in these two episodes. David Jason is such a convincing actor, he makes you believe in his character - however devious he is being. This is the only really positive thing I can find to say about this episode, the acting is really good.
The whole senario of setting part two of this special in Miami, does not work. It is unpleasent to watch and contains very little of what makes OFAH so appealing. David Jason cranks the unlikabiliy of a character, up several notches. This is definitely my least favourite episode.
Welcome Home, Boys!
Lunerar27 July 2020
Part 2 of Miami Twice really sucks. This time they are actually in Miami for the entire episode and while the story is ludicrous and jumps the shark on more than one occasion, and its cheap and tacky jokes make it feel more like early 80s than early 90s, I did find myself wanting to stick it out to the very end.
Not sure I ever will again though. Skip this one.
Not sure I ever will again though. Skip this one.
A real turkey for Christmas
iamirwar6 July 2020
It has to be said that there are many episodes of 'Only Fools and Horses' that are excellent. But sadly, this isn't one of them. I now find it hard to decide whether it is this, or the episode 'A Royal Flush' which deserve the accolade as the worst of the entire series. By this time in the early 90s, John Sullivan was only turning out new stories once every Christmas. Watching this, I came to the conclusion that he had long lost interest in the life of the Trotters, and was only turning these out due to the popularity of the earlier TV series. Having said that, he would revive the series for season 8, which should have been the fitting end to the saga. But no!
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