Multiplicity (1996)
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: The Computer Age of Science Fiction
Page 1 of 1
Multiplicity (1996)
A sci-fi comedy which tackles the possibilities of successful cloning: beleagered dad and construction supervisor Doug (Michael Keaton) just doesn't have enough time to take care of everything; he's ready to snap. By chance, he meets a geneticist (Harris Yulin) who has perfected cloning people. Overnight, there's a 2nd Doug; this one takes over the work portion of Doug's life, while the original Doug focuses on family. But, things get too hectic even for these two; so, Doug #3 is created - this one is to help out both Dougs and is a bit more prissy for some reason. Then, it gets really loopy when a 4th Doug is created; since this one was cloned from one of the clones - a copy of a copy - he's retarded.
This story is more fantasy than sci-fi in view of the simplicity with which the clones are created, complete with all the memories of the first Doug (the most clever scene is when the first clone awakes; we and the clone assume that he is the original Doug). The film is very inoffensive, even with the later scenes of the wife (Andie MacDowell) getting banged by all 3 clones over the course of a night (nothing is really shown, of course). It reminded me of those old Disney comedies from the sixties, transplanted into the nineties. Recent leaps to FX technology, such as CGI, made the scenes of multiple Dougs quite startling back then.
The big challenge, of course, was for actor Keaton to present various Dougs who look the same but have subtle differences. Now, his take on it is not very subtle: the first clone is more macho and piggish, the 2nd clone is more feminine and the last is, well, dopey. The suggestion is that the environment molds these clones to be different: the macho Doug is usually at work, the 2nd Doug is usually at home; but, these glaring differences happen very quickly for some reason. BoG's Score: 7 out of 10
Multi-Trivia: actor John de Lancie has a small role as a rival of Doug's at work; he is best known for his role as Q on the TV series Star Trek-the Next Generation, a role he continued to repeat on Deep Space Nine and Voyager episodes up to about the point this film was made.
Similar topics
» Escape From L.A. (1996)
» The Arrival (1996)
» Independence Day (1996)
» Barb Wire (1996)
» Phenomenon (1996)
» The Arrival (1996)
» Independence Day (1996)
» Barb Wire (1996)
» Phenomenon (1996)
Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: The Computer Age of Science Fiction
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|