Subject: REVIEW: MULTIPLICITY (1996)

From: [email-masked] (James Berardinelli)
Date: 17 Jul 1996 21:19:58 GMT

MULTIPLICITY
                       A film review by James Berardinelli
                        Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli

RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5
Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****

United States, 1996
Release date: 7/17/96 (wide)
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Sexual situations)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Michael Keaton, Andie MacDowell, Harris Yulin, Richard Masur, 
      John DeLancie, Eugene Levy
Director: Harold Ramis
Producers: Trevor Albert and Harold Ramis
Screenplay: Mary Hale & Chris Miller and Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Cinematography: Laszlo Kovacs
Music: George Fenton
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures

     At one time or another, we've probably all wished that there was 
more than one of us.  MULTIPLICITY taps into this  universal fantasy, 
using it as the premise for the latest comedy from director Harold Ramis 
(GROUNDHOG DAY).  The involvement of both Ramis and actress Andie 
MacDowell may recall the 1993 Bill Murray hit, but there really aren't 
many other intersections or similarities.  MULTIPLICITY is more of a 
"gimmick" motion picture.  While GROUNDHOG DAY was a lighthearted fairy 
tale, this excursion is more like the Michael Keaton show.  It's a 
straight comedy, a great deal of which is of the physical variety.  So, 
although MULTIPLICITY is funny, it's not as heartwarming or inventive as 
GROUNDHOG DAY.

     I give Michael Keaton the lion's share of the credit for 
MULTIPLICITY's success.  The script may contain the puns, double 
entendres, slapstick, and other forms of humor, but Keaton delivers them 
flawlessly, playing four variations of the same everyday sort of 
character.  The visual effects that place two, three, or four Keatons 
together are seamless, but it's not difficult to imagine the challenge 
that performing in some of these scenes can present for an actor.  After 
all, it's not easy to play off of empty space.  See Eddie Murphy in the 
recent updating of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR for another example of this sort 
of multi-character tour de force.

     I have never been one to sing Andie MacDowell's praises, and I'm 
not going to start now.  She's had a few solid performances (SEX, LIES, 
AND VIDEOTAPE and UNSTRUNG HEROES spring to mind), but, in general, I 
find her to be irritating.  Nothing in MULTIPLICITY encourages me to 
change this point-of-view.  At best, it could be argued that she does an 
adequate job, but this is far from a clinic in the art of acting or 
capturing the audience's sympathy.

     I suppose it's necessary to briefly note that MULTIPLICITY is 
seriously flawed from a technological perspective, but this "unreality" 
doesn't detract from the film's pure entertainment value.  MULTIPLICITY 
opens by introducing us to Doug Kinney (Keaton), a construction manager 
for a company whose motto is fast becoming, "If you don't come in on 
Saturday, don't bother coming in on Sunday."  In Doug's words, "Work is 
first, my family is a close second, and I'm a distant third."  He's 
feeling tired and burnt-out, and, when his wife, Laura (MacDowell), 
expresses a desire to go back to work, Doug can't figure out how they're 
going to manage two careers and two children.

     Enter the mysterious Dr. Leeds (Harris Yulin), who has the answer 
to all of Doug's problems:  cloning.  Soon, there are no less than four 
Dougs running around.  In addition to the original, there's #2, the 
workaholic; #3, the anal retentive; and #4, an imperfect copy of #2 who 
is affectionately referred to as "Rain Man."  And, even though Doug is 
becoming very productive, things are getting progressively more 
confusing with each additional copy.

     MULTIPLICITY is an uncomplicated comedy with a lot of big laughs 
and a disappointingly weak framing story.  Do we ever really care about 
any of the characters or their situations?  With the exception of Doug 
#1, not really.  As far as the promise of MULTIPLICITY is concerned, 
this script gives us a fertile field only half-tilled.  There are 
moments of near-brilliance, but, for the most part, MULTIPLICITY falls 
into the "above average, but not great" category.

     The jokes, which are frequent and frequently successful, make this 
motion picture worth sitting through, even though, at nearly two hours, 
it runs on for far too long.  For those who are just looking for a movie 
that scores high on the feel-good comedy scale, MULTIPLICITY is a can't-
miss choice.  In the end, however, I couldn't help wishing that Ramis 
had tried for something a little more ambitious, rather than settling 
for a multiplicity of laughs without much genuine substance.

- James Berardinelli
e-mail: [email-masked]
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin