The Challenge

This movie is amazing! As always, there are love interests and jet skis, but there's something really different about this one. It actually has substance and a plot! The very end really made it for me. This surprise ending was truly inspired, the best these twins have done yet! Keep it up girls!

As with all of my other Olsen Twins movies, I rate this against their other movies, not against the standard world of Hollywood movies. Hence the ten rating.

This movie is probably the most entertaining and sensible of the Olsen Twins movies. Even my younger brothers, who were nineteen when they watched this, enjoyed this movie. There is actually a plot and the girls have distinguished characters for once. In most of their other movies, they're basically the same person. The Mexican scenery is beautiful. The collage at the end is a nice treat for fans of their movies. This is definitely one of their movies that would be tolerable to non-fans. If you liked the comedy in this one, I'd recommend "Our Lips Are Sealed." If you liked the distinct characterization, I'd recommend "Winning London." If you liked the tropical scenery, I'd recommend "Holiday in the Sun."

This was a pretty cute kids movie by fraternal twins Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. They play Shane & Lizzie, who have spent the last 4 years apart because their parents wanted different things and the girls had nothing in common anyway. The producers of this Survivor-type reality show (spoofing it right down to the host and the physical challenges, but lacking the elimination of members) noticed that these twins both sent in audition tapes and thought it would be great ratings to have them on the same team.

I won't spoil the rest for you, but needless to say it is a cute movie, and the twins are very adorable (they are almost full-grown adults).

I liked this but it's not a favourite of the Olsen films. I found it slightly depressing that the sisters hated each other, I much prefered the films where they're basically like the same person. Also the theme tune to the game show constantly getting played sounded so irritating. The supporting cast was great, much better than most of the other films.

Shane and Lizzie are sisters whose parents divorced. Shane went with her mother to California, and she cares about nature, she refuses to eat meat, and she practices yoga. Lizzie stayed with her father in the Washington, D.C., area, and she is intelligent, politically involved, driven to succeed, and carries a cell phone everywhere. Both girls want to change the world, in their own way.

Shane and the others wonder why there are only seven contestants when eight is normal. It seems Lizzie is late (unusual for her, actually), and when she finally does show up, Shane is not happy. Both girls come close to quitting.

The show is part 'Survivor' and part 'Fear Factor'. The eight young people are divided into two teams. Since the show is being filmed in Mexico, the teams are the Aztecs and the Mayans. Both sisters end up on the Mayan team.

As is often true in Disney movies, the ones you don't want to win get ahead in the competition, and you begin to wonder about the team you support, who are subjected to humiliation whenever they fail. But both Shane and Lizzie contribute unique abilities to their team, so there is a chance.

Though I have seen only clips of reality shows, I thought the 'Challenge' program seemed very realistic in its presentation, as if I was watching that show rather than a movie about it. The acting performances were stereotypical for the most part. But I especially enjoyed the conceited swimmer on the Aztec team. And I can't help but like those Olsen twins. At times, especially in the blooper reel at the end and in the interviews that appeared on the 'Challenge' program, they seemed more sophisticated than the cute little girls we have come to know. But they have yet to shake that adorable image.

It wasn't a great movie, and not a classic by any means, but it was Disney-style fun.