Intriguing idea, strong lead can’t save ‘Identical’

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Wednesday, September 3, 2014 11:31am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

The website for “The Identical” has more endorsements from pastors than movie critics — this is not one of those evangelical pictures trying to hide its agenda. It’s produced by a Nashville-based company with roots in the born-again world and some legit music-biz credentials.

That agenda acknowledged, the picture has two notable strong points: an urban-legend storyline that’s been crying out for a movie treatment, and an unexpectedly engaging lead turn by a new performer.

The story springs from classic alternate-history stuff. We all know (I certainly hope we all know) that Elvis Presley had a twin brother who died at birth. What if the twin had actually survived and led a parallel existence to his famous sibling?

“The Identical” isn’t about the Presleys by name; its fictional Elvis is called Drexel Hemsley, born to a hardscrabble cotton-pickin’ family in the Depression. The elder Hemsleys give away the infant twin to a traveling preacher (Ray Liotta) and wife (Ashley Judd), who raise the child as their own son.

He’s stuck with the prosaic moniker Ryan Wade, and it’s his story we follow — Drexel’s rise to fame happens offscreen. For a while the movie reaches back to “The Jazz Singer” for dramatic focus, as the reverend Wade expects Ryan to follow his path to the pulpit.

The boy’s got music in his blood, so there are many “But I don’t feel the callin’, Papa” scenes to get through. Ryan achieves his own success in music by becoming a Drexel Hemsley impersonator, which is a pretty decent plot twist.

It’s certainly better than the cringe-worthy “birth of rock” scenes, in which Ryan leaps onstage at a ’50s juke joint and shows the happy-dancing black patrons what the new music is all about. (The faux-historical songs are by Jerry Marcellino — former producer for Michael Jackson and Diana Ross — and son Yochanan; Dustin Marcellino, Jerry’s grandson, directs.)

The engaging turn comes courtesy of Blake Rayne, who plays Ryan and Drexel. This strapping, slyly humorous fellow was working as an Elvis impersonator when tapped for the project, and he’s got an easy non-actory appeal. Everybody else is overacting, so this is especially welcome.

Rayne’s likability redeems at least some of this preposterous movie, which otherwise lurches from one improbable scene to the next, with the Christian messages coming thick and heavy toward the end. It may be preaching to the choir, but if your particular calling is to be a celebrity impersonator, “The Identical” is here to assure you that you are forgiven.

The Identical (1 1/2 stars)

This evangelical film is mostly preposterous, but it has two strong points: a fictionalized take on an urban legend (what if Elvis’s twin brother hadn’t died at birth?) and an engaging lead performance by newcomer Blake Rayne. Otherwise, it’s pretty cringe-worthy.

Rating: PG, for subject matter

Showing: Everett Stadium, Marysville, Meridian, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.