Review of The Identical (2014) by Peter H — 05 Sep 2014

The story of a Christian man marrying a Jewish woman in the Depression Era was the best part of this movie, produced in black-and-white, and the opening section of the film. Honestly, this was the plot segment that could have carried the entire film skipping the Elvis twins theme. Amanda Crew who played the beautiful Jewish bride and mother, Helen Hemsley, was perfectly cast and did a phenomenal job, obviously investing a lot emotionally into her role with the result that Helen Hemsley was the most believable character in the entire film. It's unfortunate that Crew and her character weren't allotted more screen time in the film. Great job Amanda!

No doubt, critics are giving the film bad reviews, but I'm not a critic. The sub-theme of "Jewish-Christians" and intermarriage in the history of the USA is a very important issue and worth revisiting in other films. For this reason I give the film 5/5 for having the courage to raise this important topic.

Some of the most successful people in Hollywood are from Jewish-Christian families. Actors and actresses include Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Rachel Weisz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Neve Campbell, Harry Connick Jr., and many others. Some of the most influential people in Hollywood are Jewish-Christian families who married for love deciding on religion later including Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw, Natalie Portman & Benjamin Millepied, etc. For critics to slam this film and completely ignore this important issue of Jewish-Christian marriage and family is no doubt, on the one hand, politically incorrect in Hollywood and Western society in general. On the other hand, the experience of Jewish-Christian families in the history of the USA and the fascinating tension between the loss and rediscovery of identity is an important topic that is raised in the film, and a source of tension that captivates viewers. This is a theme that resonates with many who might consider seeing this film and it is odd that it was ignored by critics. Helping an audience find a film they might find interesting is, after all, the job of a good critic, i.e. to keep the film industry running. So what exactly happened here?