Twins (1988)

Daniel De Vito and Arnold Schwarzenegger, starring in Twins.
Hmm… twins, you say. Which angle or orientation should I be looking at this from? I am not able to comprehend how Arnold and Daniel could be twins. There actually happens to be this one scientific term for such a pair: Heteropaternal Superfecundation.

So, I am hoping you know how twins are born. At times, a single egg and a single sperm form a zygote, which then breaks into two, forming what we call “identical twins”. Now, if it were two eggs fertilised at the same time, that would form “fraternal twins”. In the case of heteropaternal superfecundation, there is a possibility where two eggs get fertilised by two sperms originating not from the same source. How that may happen, I do not know. Actually… something does pop up, but let’s not go there. Hence, the stark difference in physical appearance and other characteristics, which is still debatable territory.

This film touches on that angle, however not exactly. It’s more of a fictional cocktail of these real-life biological possibilities, with a generous splash of 80s science optimism poured on top. Now we have a rationale for how Arnold and Daniel could be twins. Sighs

Just a slight deviation from the topic of discussion. I was wondering how movies made back in the 80s could be so refreshing for a change. I mean, think about it. We’re now in the second quarter of the 21st century, and content from 36 or so years back is still as entertaining as it gets, maybe even more so, given the visible decline in good cinema over the past few years, which thankfully seems to be slowly crawling back up. How amazing is that?

We’re looking at two guys in their 80s now and how they looked in their prime. Of course, we’ve probably seen enough of Arnold from his Mr. Olympia days plastered all over the internet. But what about Danny De Vito? For me, this is the only film where I’ve seen him this young. Imagine bumping into Arnold or Danny someday. I don’t know how likely the latter is, but you can surely run into Arnold at Gold’s. Imagine you meet him and say, “Oh, I loved Twins. You and Danny had great chemistry,” and he replies in that unmistakable accent, “Wow! Thank you. Where were you for the last 35 years or so?” Oh yeah, you were probably not even born.

Still from Twins (1988) showing Julius and Vincent Benedict. Image from IMDb media index.

Julius admiring Sylvester Stallone as Rambo. Image from IMDb media index.

Anyways, coming back to the film.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters each of these men played, especially Arnold, because this tough guy was made to play a righteous and soft-hearted character, who also happens to be, as Vince (Danny De Vito’s character) puts it, a “230-pound virgin”. Surely, that is not Arnold.

Arnold plays the role of Julius Benedict, who was separated from his twin brother, Vincent Benedict, at the time of their birth. One of the scientists who was part of the team working on producing the perfect specimen took Julius with him to continue his studies, while Vince was left in an orphanage. The film begins with Julius discovering the existence of his twin brother through the very scientist who raised him, after which he sets out on a journey to find Vince.

Julius, however, was kept on a deserted island and raised there, so he knew nothing about the real world except what he had read in books. The research did result in success, and Julius was, if not the perfect specimen, then dangerously close to it. Hence, this isolation was necessary to study him.

Vince is a perfect Danny De Vito portrayal. Just watching how this guy rolls through life will give any man the confidence he needs. You see the film and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Vince is the complete opposite of his twin in every conceivable way. Where Julius is kind at heart, morally upright, intellectually superior, and built like a walking anatomy chart, Vince is street-smart, morally flexible, emotionally loud, physically compact, and somehow still convinced the universe owes him a favour. Put them in the same frame and it feels less like twins and more like nature conducting a long-running practical joke.

The colours used in the film are very vibrant. If I were to put it in an analogy, it feels like that pleasant spring breeze where everything seems to be going just right, and even if it isn’t at the moment, you somehow trust that it will. The scenes are very well written for a comedy, especially one with Arnold in the lead. Let’s be honest, humour is probably the hardest skill to crack. Every nuance has to land just right, not more, not less. Just right.

Arnold delivering this, or the director and assistant director making the right calls on how each take should go, has clearly been handled with care. The standards were high enough to ensure Arnold never came off as cringeworthy. Not many actors, or athletes-turned-actors, with that kind of physical presence could pull this off without going overboard. He might as well have been the first of this kind. John Cena and The Rock followed much later.

From the moment the movie begins to its progression, Vince and Julius slowly come to terms with being actual brothers and eventually find their mother; the entire arc is crafted beautifully. Not once did I feel disconnected from what was happening on screen.

For those of you looking to relax, or at least soak in that comforting vibe, I suggest you watch it now. You can find it on Netflix, I hope. Although Netflix doesn’t stream a universal set of content everywhere, I’m sure you’ll find it somewhere accessible in this glorious age of OTTs.

You’re welcome.

Julius and Vince as new born babies Image from IMDb media index.