John and Olivia look great in this. They have some fun moments and the plot has a bit of drama. This is not an action filled car chase or masked super hero or over the top humor type of movie. It is a "what if" premise and we follow the young beautiful couple as they try to make some fast bucks while they avoid the two bad eggs. Olivia in the acting class is a nice laugh. John does some good physical moves. I worked this as an extra at Burbank Studios. I was in the scene near the end where John had to jump onto a car roof and climb a fire escape. He actually did that bit. That is not a stunt performer. We hear some of Olivia and even some of John singing, but they don't really get into any musical scene. That would have been nice. Scatman and Charles Durning and Oliver Reed are very good in this. The casting was fine.

This is the type of movie pseudo-sophisticated snobs who write sprawling reviews including a play by play of the movie they are supposed to be criticizing, instead of describing, drool over. They harangue us about how predictable it all is, how it fails to re- capture the magic of grease, so on and so forth etc. They lament how It's a simple vehicle, much like a Chuck Norris or Charles Bronson vehicle, except this one uses the Grease duo...newsflash...SO WHAT? The primary purpose of film and art is to entertain, if you can entertain and make a statement at the same time, more power to you, but it is not a requirement. Two of a kind has no statement to make..neither did Bringing up Baby but I don't here these twits lining up to bash it. That much said 2 of a kind is not on the same level as that film, but it is still a good movie. Travolta and John have a natural chemistry that makes you believe they really do care about one another, and more importantly are attractive enough, in a bare bones way for the audience to care about. Oliver reed steels the show and beats out Bill Cosby (the devil and max devlin) Ray Walston (Damn Yankees) and George Burns (Oh God You Devil) with regards to Luciferian Comic relief, and Charles Durning is one of the few character actors who seemed capable of transitioning effortlessly from villain to, dare I say? Angel. With Regards to this movie under performing at the box office, it should be pointed out that only 2 movies released wide in the Christmas season of 83 did well Sudden Impact and Uncommon valor..and most of the top 10 films where released in the spring/summer season. Yentl and Silkwood where not released wide, but competed with this one and due primarily to undeserved critical acclaim, ran twice as long making only slightly more money than this one. The executives at 20th century fox went crazy with the promotion budget, and threw a temper tantrum yanking it after only six weeks because it didn't live up to their unrealistic expectations. The snob critics played their part in cutting it down in it's prime.(if only Box office mojo was around in the 80's maybe the critics and execs would have been put in their rightful places)I saw 2 of a kind as a kid on HBO and ..I remembered very little of it..which is odd, but I remembered liking it. The Curiosity led me to rent it on netflix. Having just watched it...I still like it. The dining room scene is creative screwball perfection and the song "Twist of Fate" is 80's bliss. Two of a kind will not change your life...but as much as many film critics might hate it...many of us "average folk" like our lives, and enjoy simple formula films, tastefully done, using talented actors, in movies that don't attempt to unravel the mysteries of the universe. You might not remember much about it after you see it, but my guess is just like I did as a 9 or 10 year old, once you do, you will remember enjoying it, because, all heavy handed aesthetic challenges aside, it is an enjoyable movie. And more importantly it has the added novelty of allowing you to enjoy it again and again

This was, effectively, John Travolta's last film before his near-decade long hiatus in the 1980's, and while it marks the end of the cheesy, romance genre with which he'd become synonymous at the time, it's not a bad vehicle in which to reunite the former "Grease" stars.Travolta is a down-on-his-luck inventor who bungles a bank robbery to pay off gambling debts. Newton-John is the bored bank teller who takes pity on his predicament, teaming up as they dodge enemies and the law. Amid all the chaos, God has decided that the world is no longer worth the effort and plans to bring about its end. Only the intervention of a trio of well meaning angels (and Travolta and Newton-John as the saviours) can change God's mind. Encapsulating the unusual plot in a few sentences almost makes it sound complicated (not to mention absurd), but in reality, it's very light and entertaining.Diverse cast in the supporting ranks (Reed, Durning, Crothers, Straight and Hudson most notable) provide madcap characterisations, and Travolta and Newton-John have an on-screen chemistry that is warming, if hopelessly corny at times. The soundtrack featuring some minor hits from Chicago, Journey and Boz Scaggs as well as Newton-John, is easy listening and fits the lighthearted mood well. There's some reasonable action sequences, stunts and set-work, and enough entertaining moments to fill out the 85-odd minutes.An honest invention, not the typical self-indulgent romantic comedy that became stock standard of the nineties. Good cast, more comedy than romance, what's not to like?

There is only word one that fully does justice to this film: APPALLING.John and Olivia were BETRAYED! WHY they would choose this movie-someone else on here said they looked through over 30 scripts before settling on this one-and why they would let this first-time director decimate their careers in this way… it's inexplicable. WHY anyone at any studio would take these two huge stars (though Olivia had been tarnished by Xanadu by this time) and TOSS THEIR CAREERS TO THE WIND on this turkey is… again, inexplicable. Why does this film exist? The answer lies, I think, in Olivia's 'rebranding' effort, trying to shift out of being wholesome and pure and be a bit of a vamp, which in retrospect seems like a big mistake (look what happened to Sheena Easton when she tried the same thing… and look at the continuing debacle that is Britney). Everyone loves Olivia being pure and a bit cheeky. Look how adorable she was in Grease! It is just so incongruous for her to be a bank-robbing shiftless liar that it is impossible to get involved with her character. Okay, that sounds like there is even one 'character' in this film, but you know what I mean.There are several compelling issues raised by this film, such as:Why does John Travolta walk like he has a broomstick (etc…. but ALL the way in) the whole movie? Did his mother tell him his posture was bad or something?Were general production values REALLY that low back in 1982? No wonder films are so expensive now.WHO was the director related to that he was allowed to make this?WHY, when Olivia's face is presented in the paper, in a loving 6' X 8' picture identifying her as a wanted bank robber, does she just walk around and attend her acting class as though nothing happened? Why does no one in her acting class mention it? Why don't the police show even the SLIGHTEST interest in apprehending her and recovering the money? Why doesn't anyone she the slightest interest?WHY do songs on the soundtrack blare inappropriately and completely without context throughout?There are a few notable moments that must be pointed out:Please take note of the first shot of John Travolta in those stupendously ridiculous glasses. And it's only getting better…Two words: 'I'm Single.'Please note how someone offscreen obviously CHUCKS the live cat at the pots in the kitchen! This would not be allowed these days! Though you will obviously note that 'ethnic diversity' is being DEPLOYED in the group of angels… though it doesn't seem to prevent them from making the black man a bus driver!Please admire the architectural splendor of Olivia's hair, and her multitude of 80's fashion debacles, including the green ensemble with big gold pirate belt and turned-down suede boots (as they're walking down the street, soon before sampling the edible sunglasses). Note that John is drinking Red and Olivia is drinking White, obviously because the producers thought this would appear 'sophisticated.'Of course there's the 'Twist of Fate' montage, where Olivia gets to sport the appalling sunglasses. Olivia's songs here definitely lack the John Farrar touch (who had composed all of her hits heretofore) and it's obvious where the problem lies.Alas, what more can be said? Oh, I know… it was only on second viewing that I noticed that John and Olivia actually DIED a third of the way through the film (because John fell on Olivia from a great height, naturally), but were brought back to life by the angels to… continue the film. Now isn't it kind of sad that a film-ANY film-can be so poorly directed that the main characters can DIE and you don't even notice?Now if you don't want to watch it after reading this, I don't know what's wrong with you.--- Check out my website devoted to bad and cheesy movies at: www.cinemademerde.com