So Bad it’s Good
#14 : Twof a Kind (1983)

Guilty Pleasures that we enjoyed – even though we don’t quite know why.

Movie Title : Two of a Kind
Released 1983
Starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Oliver Reed, Beatrice Straight, Scatman Crothers, Charles Durning.
Directed By John Herzfeld

What is it? : Dare I say something an exec was ultimately fired for for greenlighting? Then again, if you were offered something that promised to re-team “Grease” darlings John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, wouldn’t you wheel out the cash barrow? In the film, directed by John Herzfeld, Travolta plys a mullet-haired inventor who decides to rob a bank to pay off a loan shark. But the fast-thinking bank clerk (Newton-John, sans her beautiful long flowing blonde locks!) tricks the robber and ends up stashing the money for herself. Meanwhile, up in Heaven, the powers-that-be have decided it’d be a good idea to try and get the two earthbound beings together.

What’s wrong with it? : Honestly? It’s a mess. Rather than simply tell a sweet story of a couple of opposites who attract (which might have worked), writer/director Herzfeld felt the need to add this whole ‘magic’ element – he didn’t see “Xanadu”?! – where it’s revealed God’s playing the ultimate puppet master to the main characters. It’s just… odd. The performances were a little off too – Travolta and Newton-John seemed a little unsure what they were doing here – ultimately earning the one-time real-life lovebirds a Razzy award each for their mantelpieces.

What’s right about it? It’s fun. Yes, it’s messy, it’s script (or director) is indecisive, and both Travolta and Newton-John might’ve been best served if they’d enrolled in a brush-up class on acting before production started, but for the most part, this is a dumb but easily enteraining film…. In the same respect “Xanadu” was, actually. In fact, if you think of it as a musical – which it isn’t, really – it works even better because some of the tunes in here are absolute gold – especially Newton-John’s timeless ditty “Twist of Fate” (in fact the song was so popular just prior to the film's release, Fox replaced the movie's original score with instrumental versions of her chart-topping tune). Oh, and how can anyone resist a movie that promises ‘Gene Hackman as the voice of God’?!

Why is it so bad it’s good? : Because it has the makings of a cult fave – bad dialogue, infectiously fun pop tunes, wacky direction, bad production values, big-name actors in useless parts, bad hair-do’s, and John Travolta. It isn’t as beloved a guilty pleasure as “Xanadu” but give it time.

- CLINT MORRIS

Previous "So Bad It's Good" Entries
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
Hudson Hawk
Batman Forever
She's All That
The Monster Squad
They Live
Roadhouse
Arthur 2 : On The Rocks
National Lampoon's Class Reunion
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Doc Hollywood
Kickboxer II : The Road Back
Highlander III : The Final Dimension
Blown Away