It Takes Two (1995)
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Two lookalike girls decide to switch places to help their respective parental figures find love.
The story
Nine-year-old orphan Amanda Lemmon wants to be adopted by her social worker, Diane Barrows, but is instead pursued by a reclusive couple who intend to use her as slave labor. While at a summer camp, Amanda meets Alyssa Callaway, a wealthy girl who looks exactly like her. Alyssa's father, Roger, is planning to marry a gold-digging socialite. The two girls decide to switch places: Amanda moves into Alyssa's wealthy life, while Alyssa experiences the summer camp. Their goal is to act as matchmakers, arranging meetings between Diane and Roger, whom they believe would be perfect for each other.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Amanda Lemmon, an orphan, is pursued by the Butkises, a couple who 'collect' children to work as slaves in their salvage yard. Amanda prefers her social worker, Diane Barrows, but authorities won't allow the adoption. At a summer camp, Amanda meets Alyssa Callaway, a wealthy girl who is the spitting image of her. Alyssa's father, Roger, is set to marry the self-centered Clarice Kensington. The girls switch places to act as matchmakers for Diane and Roger. As they navigate their new lives, they realize the two adults are a perfect match. However, complications arise when Clarice manipulates Roger into moving the wedding up. Amanda (as Alyssa) discovers Clarice's plan to send the real Alyssa to boarding school in Tibet. Meanwhile, Alyssa (as Amanda) is 'adopted' by the Butkises and renamed Betty. Diane eventually discovers the switch and rushes to the Butkis residence to rescue Alyssa, discovering the truth about the salvage yard. At the wedding, Vincenzo and Amanda stall the ceremony. Roger realizes his love for Diane and refuses to marry Clarice. Diane bursts in with the real Alyssa. In a final confrontation, Alyssa ruins Clarice's wedding gown, leading to Clarice's humiliating exit. The girls successfully orchestrated the romance, and Roger and Diane share their first kiss.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andy Tennant
- Writers
- Deborah Dean Davis · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kirstie Alley · Diane Barrows; Steve Guttenberg · Roger Callaway; Ashley Olsen · Alyssa Callaway; Mary-Kate Olsen · Amanda Lemmon; Philip Bosco · Vincenzo Campana; Jane Sibbett · Clarice Kensington
- Genres
- romantic comedy; children's; buddy comedy
- Themes
- adoption; identity; matchmaking
- Tone and mood
- predictable; fun; harmless
- Premise and plot tags
- lookalikes; switch; romance; family
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and Lisa and Lottie by Erich Kästner.
- Content notes
- child intimidation
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with an 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 45 on Metacritic. However, it was well-received by audiences, earning an 'A' CinemaScore, and was a significant success in home-video sales.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 8% · review count: 24
- Awards and nominations
- Kids' Choice Award · Favorite Movie Actress · Won
- Production trivia
- The title is taken from a song by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.; The film bears similarities to the 1961 film The Parent Trap.; The film was released through the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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