In today's world of violence, drugs, sex and other forms of mayhem, this movie would be easily swept aside and branded "lame, dumb, etc." by the public at large. Its definitely not NYPD Blue, X Files, Law & Order, or so many other TV shows, nor is it intended to be.
This movie remains true to the spirit of the 1963-1966 TV series The Patty Duke Show. Anna Marie (Patty) Duke Pearce has always been one of my very favorite actresses, and with good reason. She's done a remarkable gamut of work, and has excelled in each and every performance, even those that most find not so great, like her portrayal of a singer gone awry in Valley of the Dolls. Her work is, in my opinion, more than excellent, and she grows with each performance.
The TV series was a good, clean, fun and entertaining show about two cousins who are physically identical, but mentally and socially are very, very different. Yes, yes, we all know that identical cousins are genetically and physically impossible. The show wasn't about science, it was about teenagers and their relationships with their peers, and their family. Suspension of disbelief is used in horror movies, sci fi movies, and even some dramas, so why couldn't you use it with a family comedy series? This TV movie returns us to that medium with a story that won't win any great literary or screen awards for incredible writing and compelling drama, but the spirit of the TV series is definitely present, with appropriate updates to make it fit more in the modern era. The two girls and Ross have all grown up now. Patty's been married, and divorced, and has a son with Richard, and their son has a daughter that lives most of the time with Patty, her grandmother. Cathy's been married, and widowed, and is left in Scotland with her son. Martin and Natalie are retired, and living out of town, though they apparently journey back often. Ross is never noted as being married, but he's a successful agent on Broadway. Finally, we have Sue Ellen Turner, Patty's old arch nemesis, who's now Sue Ellen Caldwell, a rich and somewhat demented Realtor with a harebrained plot to acquire the school and turn it into a mall.
Granted, the character of Sue Ellen isn't being reprised by Kitty Sullivan, but instead by Cindy Williams, of Laverne and Shirley fame. However, Williams' spark brings the character to life, and she resembles Miss Sullivan closely enough in appearance, bearing and voice to make it believable. She lends her comic savvy to this production to make the story, while predictable, fun anyway.
The hijinks that the cast goes through in this film are amusing, even if they are a bit stale for the modern era. That, however, doesn't detract from the value, and the enjoyment factor, of bringing old friends into our living rooms once more. The characters in this movie are from a simpler, more innocent time, and that's reflected in the modern time as well. The movie does a good job of conveying that while these characters have had many life changes and many things thrown their way, they have remained true to who they were 33 years previously.
We all know that times aren't as simple today as they were when this series was on TV, but that's part of its appeal. In a world rife with corruption, death, sex, drugs, violence and more, you've got this small group of people who haven't fallen prey to that sort of thing, and eked out a life for themselves. They're managed to remain true to who and what they were, and forge ahead.
I believe that if you watch this movie with the mindset of what it is, and what its intended to be, and forget about the hangups of this is predictable, that's just too "goody goody," and so on, you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised. No Oscar nominations are going to arise from this film, no awards for Best Drama, Best Picture, etc are going to be awarded to it. Instead, what will come out of this movie is a refreshing and stimulating enjoyment of a film conducted with comedy (even if it is a bit cheesy), good values, and a perfectly novel thought: the idea of a family banding together as one to achieve a common goal.
So, accept that this is a movie about a bunch of people who aren't drug dealers, Mafia bosses, or Stallone clones shooting their way through a passel of Schwarzenegger clones and you should be fine. You'll find yourself actually able to watch an entire movie with your kids or grandkids and not have to worry about them being pelted with one more scene of random violence, one more scene of gratuitous sex, drunken people falling over the screen, and cars blowing up everywhere while some guy holds a machine gun and yells obscenities down Park Avenue. Instead, you'll see a demonstration of family values, demonstrations of affection between family members, and a demonstration of how bonds form, and take hold once again, even after prolonged absences, not to mention the good guys actually winning without resorting to half the bad guy's bag of tricks to do it.
So, pop this in your DVD player, VCR, or whatever, sit back and enjoy. Its not a Shakespearean work, its not a Scorcesi film, and its not Eastwood in yet another installment of Dirty Harry. This is entertainment of a whole different color. The cast brings home some very profound and hard hitting universal truths, and several life lessons are learned during the course of this, or relearned, depending on your point of view. This isn't the way most families are, but maybe this family is the way most families should be.
This movie remains true to the spirit of the 1963-1966 TV series The Patty Duke Show. Anna Marie (Patty) Duke Pearce has always been one of my very favorite actresses, and with good reason. She's done a remarkable gamut of work, and has excelled in each and every performance, even those that most find not so great, like her portrayal of a singer gone awry in Valley of the Dolls. Her work is, in my opinion, more than excellent, and she grows with each performance.
The TV series was a good, clean, fun and entertaining show about two cousins who are physically identical, but mentally and socially are very, very different. Yes, yes, we all know that identical cousins are genetically and physically impossible. The show wasn't about science, it was about teenagers and their relationships with their peers, and their family. Suspension of disbelief is used in horror movies, sci fi movies, and even some dramas, so why couldn't you use it with a family comedy series? This TV movie returns us to that medium with a story that won't win any great literary or screen awards for incredible writing and compelling drama, but the spirit of the TV series is definitely present, with appropriate updates to make it fit more in the modern era. The two girls and Ross have all grown up now. Patty's been married, and divorced, and has a son with Richard, and their son has a daughter that lives most of the time with Patty, her grandmother. Cathy's been married, and widowed, and is left in Scotland with her son. Martin and Natalie are retired, and living out of town, though they apparently journey back often. Ross is never noted as being married, but he's a successful agent on Broadway. Finally, we have Sue Ellen Turner, Patty's old arch nemesis, who's now Sue Ellen Caldwell, a rich and somewhat demented Realtor with a harebrained plot to acquire the school and turn it into a mall.
Granted, the character of Sue Ellen isn't being reprised by Kitty Sullivan, but instead by Cindy Williams, of Laverne and Shirley fame. However, Williams' spark brings the character to life, and she resembles Miss Sullivan closely enough in appearance, bearing and voice to make it believable. She lends her comic savvy to this production to make the story, while predictable, fun anyway.
The hijinks that the cast goes through in this film are amusing, even if they are a bit stale for the modern era. That, however, doesn't detract from the value, and the enjoyment factor, of bringing old friends into our living rooms once more. The characters in this movie are from a simpler, more innocent time, and that's reflected in the modern time as well. The movie does a good job of conveying that while these characters have had many life changes and many things thrown their way, they have remained true to who they were 33 years previously.
We all know that times aren't as simple today as they were when this series was on TV, but that's part of its appeal. In a world rife with corruption, death, sex, drugs, violence and more, you've got this small group of people who haven't fallen prey to that sort of thing, and eked out a life for themselves. They're managed to remain true to who and what they were, and forge ahead.
I believe that if you watch this movie with the mindset of what it is, and what its intended to be, and forget about the hangups of this is predictable, that's just too "goody goody," and so on, you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised. No Oscar nominations are going to arise from this film, no awards for Best Drama, Best Picture, etc are going to be awarded to it. Instead, what will come out of this movie is a refreshing and stimulating enjoyment of a film conducted with comedy (even if it is a bit cheesy), good values, and a perfectly novel thought: the idea of a family banding together as one to achieve a common goal.
So, accept that this is a movie about a bunch of people who aren't drug dealers, Mafia bosses, or Stallone clones shooting their way through a passel of Schwarzenegger clones and you should be fine. You'll find yourself actually able to watch an entire movie with your kids or grandkids and not have to worry about them being pelted with one more scene of random violence, one more scene of gratuitous sex, drunken people falling over the screen, and cars blowing up everywhere while some guy holds a machine gun and yells obscenities down Park Avenue. Instead, you'll see a demonstration of family values, demonstrations of affection between family members, and a demonstration of how bonds form, and take hold once again, even after prolonged absences, not to mention the good guys actually winning without resorting to half the bad guy's bag of tricks to do it.
So, pop this in your DVD player, VCR, or whatever, sit back and enjoy. Its not a Shakespearean work, its not a Scorcesi film, and its not Eastwood in yet another installment of Dirty Harry. This is entertainment of a whole different color. The cast brings home some very profound and hard hitting universal truths, and several life lessons are learned during the course of this, or relearned, depending on your point of view. This isn't the way most families are, but maybe this family is the way most families should be.
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