This is the final instalment of the twin films project, a list I now regard as the most complete in existence. Because what qualifies as a twin film becomes more ambiguous the further down the list I go, some of the connections between these final films are more tenuous than some of the films previously mentioned. I’ll also include some worthy mentions at the end that could potentially have qualified for this list.
Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky (2009) Vs Coco before Chanel (2009)
Two biopics about Coco Chanel released in the same year charting her rise to fame and fortune and her various relationships along the way. Twin films, of course. Both films are in French and English and both films are French made. I can’t offer more analysis as I haven’t seen either but I am reliably informed that they are twin films.
IMDB Rating: Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky 6.2, Coco Before Chanel 6.5
Verdict: Both films are about even. Coco Before Chanel would probably edge it for me because of Audrey Tautou but not by much. Similarity Rating 8/10
Bedtime Stories (2008) Vs Inkheart (2008)
Two films released in the same year about characters who have the ability to make fictional characters jump out of their stories and magically come to life. Weird how similar the ideas that float out of Hollywood at the same time can be. Both films have pretty stellar casts as well. Bedtime Stories stars Adam Sandler, Guy Pierce, Russell Brand, Lucy Lawless, Courtney Cox and Jonathan Price whilst Inkheart stars Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren. Neither film is particularly superior to the other in any way and both are enjoyable family adventure films.
IMDB Rating: Bedtime Stories 6.1, Inkheart 6.0
Verdict: Tie, both are enjoyable yarns. Similarity Rating 8/10
Black Dahlia (2006) Vs Hollywoodland (2006)
I’m a little dubious about these two being twinned but they’re both period pieces set in the 40’s and 50’s respectively and both revolve around a murder investigation in Los Angeles / Hollywood. Both are film noir type efforts because of the period in which they’re set. The Black Dahlia is based on the gruesome murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short in 1947 whilst Hollywoodland revolves around the mysterious death of the original Superman actor George Reeves. Both have a pretty good cast. Black Dahlia stars Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank whilst Hollywoodland stars Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins and Ben Affleck.
IMDB Rating: Black Dahlia 5.6, Hollywoodland 6.6
Verdict: Hollywoodland edges it. Similarity Rating 5/10
The Killing of John Lennon (2006) Vs Chapter 27 (2007)
Two films here released within a year of each other that chronicle the life of Mark David Chapman and his subsequent assassination of John Lennon in 1980. Neither is particularly well known and both were spectacular flops at the cinema. But they are like the biopics of Coco Chanel and Steve Prefontaine near identical biopics released within a year of each other.
IMDB Rating: The Killing of John Lennon 6.2, Chapter 27 5.6
Verdict: Both pretty average. Similarity Rating 9/10
Garden State (2004) Vs Elizabethtown (2005)
I’ve seen these two twinned on a number of lists but I’m really not that sure about their similarity to one another since I haven’t seen either one. Both seem to involve a funeral or memorial and then an unexpected romance. At least that is what I can determine from the synopses. Chic Geek might know better as he tends to watch more of these mushy type films, Twilight anyone? Elizabethtown has some big names in it such as Orlando Bloom, Susan Sarandon, Bruce McGill, Alec Baldwin, Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Biel. Wait Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Biel in the same film? Might have to give it a watch then. Garden State stars Zach Braff and absolutely no one else I’ve ever heard of which would seem to indicate that Elizabethtown be the better film.
IMDB Rating: Garden State 7.8, Elizabethtown 6.3
Verdict: IMDB voters think differently though. Similarity Rating 7/10
Elizabeth (1998) Vs Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Another two films that are a little tenuous in their similarity. Granted both take place during the reign of Elizabeth I and both involve the virgin queen to varying degrees. But Shakespeare in love isn’t about Queen Elizabeth, it’s about Shakespeare so that is where the similarities end really. It seems a little suspicious though that two films were released in the same year, both set in Elizabethan era England which is why they’ve been twinned. That and they also appear on a number of twin film lists. Both are pretty decent films and both were pretty successful at the box office.
IMDB Rating: Elizabeth 7.6, Shakespeare in Love 7.3
Verdict: Pretty similar in quality as well, tie. Similarity Rating 5/10
Heist (2001) Vs The Score (2001)
Two heist films released in the same year. In the Score, an aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist whilst Heist has a slightly more complicated plot which involves a web of deceit. Heist stars Gene Hackman, Danny Devito and Sam Rockwell whilst The Score stars Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton. Both are entertaining yarns, not spectacular but both watchable.
IMDB Rating: Heist 6.5, The Score 6.8
Verdict: Both enjoyable in their own right. Similarity Rating 7/10
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) Vs Requiem (2006)
These two are very similar and both are to varying degrees based around an exorcism and more specifically the real life exorcism of Anneliese Michel. The exorcism of Emily Rose concentrates on the legal case the priest who performs the exorcism faces after she dies whilst Requiem focuses more directly on the exorcism itself. Like Sliding Doors and Lola Reent, these films are in English and German respectively. The Exorcism of Emily Rose stars Laura Linney in a leading role.
IMDB Rating: The Exorcism of Emily Rose 6.7, Requiem 6.9
Verdict: I haven’t seen either but IMDB voters rank them about the same. Similarity Rating 6/10
The Assignment (1997) Vs The Jackal (1997)
Two fictional accounts here that are loosely based around the life of the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal. The Assignment is allegedly a very underrated movie starring Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley though I haven’t seen it. The Jackal I didn’t like all that much, the film had a bitter aftertaste. It starred Bruce Willis and Richard Gere who swore never to work with each other ever again. Their filming schedules were also so different that when they did cross paths during the filming of movie, they’d ask each other how their movie was coming along.
IMDB Rating: The Assignment 6.8, The Jackal 6.1
Verdict: The Jackal was enjoyable but I suspect The Assignment is better. Similarity Rating 6/10
Other Possible Twin Films
Turistas (2006) and Hostel (2006) In both films, unsuspecting tourists are lured into remote locations by locals with malicious intent.
Hoodwinked (2006) and Happily N'Ever After (2007) are both computer-animated films that send up fairy tales. Both also happen to feature Patrick Warburton and Andy Dick.
Knight and Day (2010) and Killers (2010) Both films are about a spy in a romantic action comedy.
The Piano Teacher (2001) and Secretary (2002) are two controversial films revolving around a female protagonist involved in sado-masochism and self-mutilation, with dysfunctional relationships both to her mother and to the male protagonist, who attempts to rescue her. While The Piano Teacher was a serious drama that ended unresolved, Secretary was a black comedy with a happy ending.
The Haunting (1999) and House on Haunted Hill (1999), two films with a similar premise and both remakes of older films.
The Vindicator (1986) and RoboCop (1987): both movies are about an innocent man who is left mutilated and near-dead by villains, is reconstructed into a cyborg by a special-weapons company, and seeks revenge on the people responsible for his fate.
Back to the Future (1985) and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) both feature protagonists who go back in time and meet high school versions of their family members, played by the same actors.
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