Plot: What’s it about?
Amanda (Mary-Kate Olsen) is an orphan with plenty of streets smarts, but she is about to be sent to a household that she dislikes. Her new adoptive family likes to use the children they take in for selfish reasons, so Amanda is not going down without a fight. She loves her caseworker Diane (Kirstie Alley) and although the kind woman wishes she could adopt Amanda herself, she simply lacks the resources to do so. At the same time, a spoiled rich girl named Alyssa (Ashley Olsen) comes home from boarding school to bad news, as her father Roger (Steve Guttenberg) plans to get married again. This might sound like good news, but the woman is only after her father’s wealth and as such, Alyssa knows she has to take action. After she runs away from home, Alyssa winds up at a summer camp and of course, Amanda happens to be there also. The two begin to talk and soon enough, they’ve formulated a plan to solve all of their worries. The girls will do whatever it takes to break up Roger’s marriage and at the same time, somehow make sure that he and Diane meet. It seems like an outrageous plan to be sure, but the girls are confident it can work, but only if Roger and Diane hit if off…
Before Mary-Kate & Ashley became the billion dollar franchise they are these days, they were just child stars on a popular television series. The twins had made some direct to video releases, but It Takes Two marked their first big screen presence. And it still stands as the sole major motion picture for the Olsen twins, as they returned to video releases afterwards and have never looked back at the movies since. Then again, the box office take on It Takes Two was weak to say the least, so perhaps the twins realized they’d better stick with videos, otherwise they’d wind up as has beens in no time. This big screen fiasco aside, the twins have become powers in the entertainment world and this film is sure to delight fans. It Takes Two features all the typical cliches for a movie of its kind, but it is decent enough, not a total disaster by any means. If you enjoy the girls’ work from this time, you should be pleased here, but it isn’t just for Olsen fans, as some other name talent is present, unlike their later works. Warner has issued a butchered video transfer however, which leaves me to recommend a rental at best on this, even to fans.
Video: How does it look?
It Takes Two is presented in a full frame transfer, which is total nonsense. The laserdisc was framed at 1.85:1 and while this is a family aimed title, I still think a flipper disc with both options would have been the best decision. I mean, the disc has minimal extras and the movie isn’t that long, so even a dual layered disc with both would have worked. But as it stands, we’re left with this abomination instead and it is sure to force fans to pass up the disc at stores. The image is solid aside from the lack of a widescreen edition, but since this isn’t what the filmmakers intended, does it even matter how good the compromised image appears?
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is by no means a demo level option, but then again, this is an Olsen twins movie, after all. The surrounds are used in typical light comedy fashion, to enhance the score and little else. This works well enough however, as the material sounds good and no serious issues arise. The dialogue is crystal clear and never hard to understand, while the sound effects are natural and well presented. Not much else we could want here, since the material wasn’t designed to have dynamic, memorable audio elements. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as English & French subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
