Subject: REVIEW: MULTIPLICITY (1996)

From: [email-masked] (Christopher Null)
Date: 30 Jul 1996 12:58:38 GMT

MULTIPLICITY
                      A film review by Christopher Null
                       Copyright 1996 Christopher Null

     I hate it when a film *sounds* like it's going to be great, has a
hilarious teaser-trailer, stars some wonderful actors, features a small
role played by the daughter of one of my film review subscribers, and ends
up falling a bit flat on the screen.

     Such is the case with MULTIPLICITY, the new Harold Ramis-Michael
Keaton comedy about a guy who clones himself in order to get a little free
time.

     Doug (Keaton) is a construction contractor with way to much
responsibility at work and not enough time to do it.  His wife (Andie
MacDowell) never sees hubby, and neither do the kids.  Doug's stress is
getting so severe that he seems on the verge of a breakdown, and eventually
he does so -- a couple of times -- before being talked into having himself
cloned by a doctor in Malibu.

     Doug #2 (Keaton) is a gruff mensch who takes over Doug's job and never
looks back.  Deciding that still isn't enough, Doug opts for another in #3
(Keaton), who takes on the personality of a fey househusband obsessed with
souffl=E9s, Tupperware, and the non-crumpledness of aluminum foil.  And when
#2 and #3 decide they don't have enough time themselves, they get together
to clone #4 (Keaton), who doesn't turn out quite as sharp as expected,
shaving his tongue and keeping pizza in his wallet.

     Yes, it *does* sound funny, and Keaton does some of his best work
here, hamming it up to an extreme -- particularly with the fall-down funny
#3:  the Martha Stewart inside all of us.

     But what to do about that darned script?  Rewrite after rewrite has
taken its obvious toll, and the thing comes off as shredded as a bowl of
cole slaw, with very funny moments (watch for "Vista de Nada") interspersed
with lifeless exposition.  Keaton does his best, but it isn't enough to
maintain more than a mild chuckle-average during the course of the film.

     Also of note:  MULTIPLICITY has the dubious honor of being the second
movie in a row that Andie MacDowell stars in that she did not
single-handedly ruin (the first being UNSTRUNG HEROES).  Let's hear it for
Andie!

     But I found the most interesting part of the movie's premise painfully
avoided, and I'll ask it here for the reader to ponder:  Just how much
*does* it cost to get a clone?

     And Kari, you were great.

RATING:  ***

|------------------------------|
 \ ***** Perfection             \
  \ **** Good, memorable film    \
   \ *** Average, hits and misses \
    \ ** Sub-par on many levels    \
     \ * Unquestionably awful       \
      |------------------------------|

-Christopher Null  /  [email-masked]  /  Writer-Producer
-Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com/
-and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm