Written by James M. Tate / 9/05/2014 / No comments / 2014 , ashley judd , music , ray liotta
RAY LIOTTA & BLAKE RAYNE IN THE IDENTICAL
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year: 2014 rating: * |
Actually, this particular yarn is partially based on truth… The King of Rock N’ Roll did have a twin brother, who died as an infant… So THE IDENTICAL takes the “what if?” concept and runs with it…
Or more like, meanders… Because what you see in the trailers is an exciting tale about a guy who looks like Elvis and becomes a big star… Yet most of the story has Ryan living a pointless existence and trying to avoid his overbearing preacher father, played by Executive Producer Ray Liotta, whose fake Southern-accent-spouting Reece Wade had secretly adopted a child, born into a poor family that couldn’t afford to raise twins... And that family were the parents of Elvis Presley himself... Although the Elvis character, also played by Rayne and shown sporadically, is renamed Drexel Hemsley, and his music isn’t catchy and contagious like Presley's, sounding like glossy drivel you’d hear on GLEE or AMERICAN IDOL. But the estranged brother just happens to sing and dance exactly like the real thing... And while Ryan does eventually score as “The Identical,” touring the country and performing his doppelganger’s tunes, this element hardly lasts ten minutes, halfway through.
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So Not Elvis |
From the beginning, our hero choses music over religion, so if anything, THE IDENTICAL is Elvis propaganda – and downright blasphemous at that. In the "breakthrough" lead role, with facial and vocal similarities aside (he also resembles Donny Osmond), real life impersonator Rayne’s performance is awkward and self-aware. And the otherwise talented actors like Ray Liotta, mother Ashley Judd and buddies Joe Pantoliano and Seth Green are simply going through the motions...
Then again, there’s hardly any motion at all. And what a shame: This wannabe biopic of a wannabe singer could have been a campy hoot if it weren't so dull and lackluster.
Labels:
2014,
ashley judd,
music,
ray liotta
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