The Bad Twin

The worst acting I've seen in a movie to date. Was painful to watch and couldn't wait for it to be over.

So why watch TV Movies?

To be honest, when you have time to spare they are not a bad way to waste time - better than Jeremy Kyle or Loose Women. There's even the chance you may come across a great film, which I have. Though you'll more than likely get some average dross that's been rehashed a million times before, but is acted and directed well. However, that leaves the last type - The Abysmal - which this title falls into dead centre.

I've always like evil twin stories. It's the fact that, though they are identical on the outside, inside is quite a different matter. This brings in a lot of possible conflicts between the twins. How good is the virtuous one? Can they be manipulated? Or are they the alpha? How bad is the naughty one? Are they the manipulator? Are they the alpha in the relationship? Bring in other outside influences and you have the basics for a lot of differing storylines.

The writer, Alix Reeves, adds absolutely nothing new. It even appears he doesn' even try. What we get are all the usual stereotypes within this sub-genre; none of which are built on. The story feels stale and old. You've seen it all before and better crafted.

Add to this the lackadaisical direction of John Murlowski and you get a low-grade film, not worth watching. There is one scene that is worth a mention. On the day of the picnic where the twin's nutso mother gets out of rehab for the day, Murlowski does a nice job of the head to head the mother has with one of her daughters. This is the best shot of the whole film. It is even memorable. Wish he'd one better with the rest.

It doesn't help that the actresses and actors also appear weary of the whole thing too. Most of the time, they shuffle from scene to scene and speak their lines, without putting in much effort. You don't get any atmosphere from them, the directing, and the story.

Though I do have to point out Jacy King as sister Cassie is superb at being nuts. Even the guy who played Kevin, Scott Bailey, gave a decent performance. At least a couple were taking it seriously... come on people, entertain us.

I could not recommend this film to anyone. It's so passive and mediocre I can't even endorse it as a movie showing inspiring filmmakers how not to do it.

Just stay away from this bad twin...

This movie was entertaining. It was close to being a horror movie. The looks those twins gave were horrifying. Grace Van Dien was convincing as the twins Olivia and Quinn. Jacy King was believable as Cassie the insane mother. Haylie Duffy was alright. But Van Dien really carried this movie.

The only upside of this is that the girls are pretty.

Wooden script. Wooden acting. And the worst bit for me ... the three main characters, two twins and their aunt, deliver the majority of their lines with unreconstituted Vocal Fry, which just has me sticking my fingers in my ears to relieve the pain.

A great family story that pulls in all elements of humanity and insanity at their best. The acting in this film is some of the best I have ever seen; that goes for Haylie Duff, who plays the MC, Jen, Jacy King (her insane sister, Cassie) and Grace Van Dien (the twins). I honestly thought the twins were real life twins, and it wasn't until I looked at the credits that I discovered otherwise; that's how well the director filmed the scenes and how well Dien was able to balance both roles--just, wow!

Writing Quality: Stellar. A gripping story with slow suspense builds because you never know what the evil twin is about to do. The things she does are so personal and deathly that you are in for one surprise after the next; most of these are not trite death attempts, nothing you've seen in similar films. Scare Factor: Two things are scary here: Cassie, Jen's (Haylie Duff) psychotic sister, who verbally and physically lashes out at Jen for no reason other than she's insanely jealous of her sister and has been their entire lives. She lunges, roars, and laughs insanely, and it's all so scary that you wonder how Jen put up with this madness for so long. And then there's the "bad twin", who lurks around every corner of Jen's life, plotting the next way to hurt her. Content (sex, language & violence): No sex. No language. Violence is shown only with Cassie lashing out. Values: There are many. Preserving a family unit. Doing good. Trying to help someone turn from their evil ways and do good. Loving and forgiving even those who have wronged you your whole life. This film shows how deeply evil can run through a family, but also how we have choices and can make good ones, as the good twin does. And it also shows that no matter how nice you are to someone evil, how very giving and sacrificial you are, that person will defiantly remain evil.