Multiplicity (1996, Michael Keaton, Andie McDowell)

‘There are four excellent reasons to see Multiplicity, and they’re all named Michael Keaton’ Variety wrote about this cloning comedy by Groundhog Day director Harold Ramis. Empire, meanwhile, simply called it ‘assuredly funny without being forced and smart without being smug’ and it’s undoubtedly a tour de force performance by Keaton, who turned down Batman Forever to do the movie. Ramis notes that when the film was being shot, Keaton was constantly upstaging himself, with the director at one point telling the actor, ‘If another actor did to you what you just did to yourself, you’d kill him!’

Keaton’s Californian construction engineer Doug Kinney is a man under stress. Struggling to cope with his burgeoning workload and under pressure from wife Laura (Andie MacDowell) to spend more time with their two children, he’s presented with a possible solution by a geneticist, Dr Owen Leeds (Harris Yulin), at the Gemini Institute where Doug’s doing some work. Having seen positive proof of Leeds’ ability to clone himself, Doug nervously agrees to have himself cloned.

At first things seem to be working well. The cloned Doug gets stuck into the backlog of work at the office, leaving Doug himself free to relax at home. Soon, though, the housework and the kids become too much and Doug goes back to the institute to get a second clone made. It’s when the clones themselves decide to add a third clone that things really get complicated. All this time, Doug’s wife Laura is oblivious to Doug’s decision to send in the clones – even though she’s slept with all four of them! This is when the real Doug decides that enough is enough and some serious action needs to be taken.

production details
USA | 117 minutes | 1996

Director: Harold Ramis
Writer: Chris Miller, Mary Hale, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandell, based on the short story by Chris Miller

cast
Michael Keaton as Doug Kinney
Andie MacDowell as Laura Kinney
Zack Duhame as Zack Kinney
Ann Cusack as Noreen
Eugene Levy as Vic
Robin Duke as Ballet School Receptionist
Harris Yulin as Leeds
Katie Schlossberg as Jennifer Kinney
Richard Masur as Del King
John de Lancie as Ted
Judith Kahan as Franny
Brian Doyle-Murray as Walt
Obba Babatundé as Paul
Julie Bowen as Robin
Dawn Maxey as Beth
Kari Coleman as Patti
Steven Kampmann as Coach Jack
Michael Milhoan as Irate Football Parent
Skip Stellrecht as Irate Football Parent
Jim Piddock as Maitre d’
Suzanne Herrington as Den Mother
Robert Ridgely as Laura’s Father
Glenn Shadix as Building Inspector
Dennis R. Lyell as Construction Worker
Richard Plon as Lab Technician Twin
Harold Plon as Lab Technician Twin
Justine A. Johnston as Woman in Restaurant
George Wallace as Man in Restaurant
Michael Klesic as Carpenter (uncredited)