Mi sdoppio in quattro

Doug Kinney never has enough time to do what he wants to do, his life is frantic and his family life is strained, then one day he gets the chance to have himself duplicated.

It would seem that a lot of complaints about this film are about it being a waste of a good premise, well for sure Multiplicity is far from being a comic masterpiece, but to say it doesn't deliver laughs set amongst its charming romantic heart, is a touch unfair I feel. What we get here is four Doug Kinney's, each one having their own driving personality to make it real easy for the audience to distinguish which is which. So, with Michael Keaton delivering four excellent performances as the Dougs, the comic relief flows pretty much all through the picture.

However, director Harold Ramis is guilty of staying safe with the material to hand because from the off the conclusion is never in doubt, the feel good factor is evident even as the Dougs are chaotically imploding. But is that really a reason to do the film down? Well no as far as I'm concerned, Multiplicity is a tidy fusion of sci-fi comedy and romance that isn't taking the science literally.

For Doug number 4 alone, with his skiing skills and pizza fetish, this film deserves 7/10, whilst Keaton deserves a far higher score indeed.

I cannot believe how many negative responses this film has had. In Perth it is showing this week on television, and the TV guide labelled it the worst film of the week. What is wrong with everyone?

This is just a light, fluffy movie with some genuinely funny moments. Michael Keaton would have had a nightmare of a time in this role(s). Imagine having to act with three other guys who aren't there. The beauty of his acting is, you can tell which clone is which. It's almost as if there are four different actors, al a Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers.

I agree Andie MacDowell isn't anything more than eye candy, but she hasn't got a lot to work with. This is Michael's film, which he shares with the excellent visual effects. I don't understand how anyone couldn't enjoy this film. Maybe those people can watch The English Patient or A Passage To India for the hundredth time. Enjoy!

I have to say when I saw the IMDb rating for this movie I was surprised. I was tempted to vote it a ten just to raise the average, but I gave it what I honestly think it deserves- a solid 7. Don't expect too much from this flick. The "deeper meanings" are mildly interesting and there is some worthwhile messages, but I like it just to relax and enjoy. If you just go into it looking for a few laughs you will be rewarded. It's not fall down funny but I get some very good chuckles throughout this movie. I'm a Michael Keaton fan, and I thin he does screwball comedy very well. His performance in this role as he portrays the distinctive sides of his personality in individual clones is impressive as he is spot on with each one. Andie MacDowell is always a joy to watch.

Worth a look, and I enjoy it every time it come on cable!

I like Michael Keaton. He was perfect in Pacific Heights and is still the 'Sean Connery' of the Batmen.

But the reason I liked multiplicity was because for once, in a movie about clones, the clones werent out to sabotage the original due to their disgruntlement at playing 2nd 3rd and 4th fiddle.

These clones try as hard as they can to abide by the rules and make sure that the original Michael Keaton's life runs as smoothly as possible: after all thats why they were spawned. And it is really amusing listening to the clones refer to Michale Keaton's Character as Doug (or 'Steve' in the case of #4) but are quite happy and comfortable in referring to each other by the numerical order in which they were created.

One of the most hilarious parts of the movie is when rule number one is put to the test....watch it and you'll see what I mean.....and also how number 2 warns number 3 that Dougs wife is going upstairs.............

Some people might think the character of 4 was a bit over the top, but if he had of been any less crazy than what he was..........it wouldnt have come off as well. After all, when a copy of a copy of a human doesnt come out right......you have to wonder what sections have been muddled up....Brain cells, chromosomes, Dna etc.....when you think of that, number 4's character was fairly tame.

A good movie that uses the talents of a good actor.

8/10

Though nowhere near as good as Groundhog Day (director Harold Ramis's previous movie) this is still a solid comedy with several big laughs. Though its situation of a man cloning himself in order to make his life more manageable would have been an interesting one to play with a serio-comic focus, Multiplicity - despite some token moralizing - is pretty much content to play its premise for wacky farce. As such, however, it does an expert job: the timing in the scenes is impeccable and the interplay between the main characters is sharp and memorable. This is especially amazing since the "main characters" here are almost exclusively played by Michael Keaton. His ability to not only delineate between the four versions of himself, but also to play each of these "selves" off convincingly against the others is nothing short of superb. In my mind, this represents a much more awesome achievement than does Eddie Murphy's similar multiple role-playing in The Nutty Professor - and here it's not just pointless showboating (there was no reason besides vanity that Murphy had to play every member of his family), but absolutely intrinsic to the movie's success. Essentially, the film rides on Keaton's ability to do precisely what he does as well as he does. Multiplicity represents his funniest film work in years, and perhaps his best ever.

A couple of scenes in particular stand out as howlingly funny set pieces - such as the one in the restaurant and the one where the clones are left alone with Keaton's wife, played by Andie McDowell. It's a shame her character wasn't at least a little bit more sketched in by the writers (compare this, for example, to her wonderfully three dimensional role in Groundhog Day) - it might have made the film a little fuller. In fact, none of the supporting characters are really given much to do here, making it solidly a one man show. But what a show! With Keaton truly hitting every comic grace note available, you don't really have much time to notice or care about the lack of secondary characters. I have seen this film four times and it has yet to lose one iota of its hilarity or charm. Hey, how much more can you demand from a comedy?