Review of The Identical (2014) by Cindy N — 07 Sep 2014

All in all, this is a good film. I love Ray Liotta, and he is the stand out performer for me, but everyone did well. This is Blake Rayne's first acting gig, but what he lacked in experience was fine for his character (or characters, in this case). As a musician, his performance, naturally, came to life during the performances. The music was, for the most part, excellent. To be honest, it was just my personal taste when I did not enjoy it as much. Each piece went well for the time period it represented. Speaking of music, the story really pulled me in with a fantastic performance by Noah Urrea (Ryan as a child) during a church scene. It's also the first film directed by Dustin Marcellino, but he surrounded himself with professional cast and crew, and it is a high quality film.

The story seemed more of a "What If?" tale based on the life of Elvis Presley, but it was interesting speculation. I thought it seemed odd that there was not a bit more curiosity about the fact that the 2 performers looked and sounded the same, but I may be looking at it through more modern eyes. I know adoptions were much more secretive years ago, and people seemed a bit more respecting of the privacy of others. (Again, that may just be me. I have never understood the 'Celebrity Worship' culture.) I honestly think I would have preferred the film as a mini-series to delve more deeply into BOTH brothers and to each era, especially the music, but it is a satisfying film. It is great for the whole family to watch, and while it is listed as a faith-based film, it is not a proselytising film. I enjoyed it.