Multiplicity (film)
Encyclopedia
Multiplicity is a 1996
comedy film
, starring Michael Keaton
and Andie MacDowell
. The film was co-produced and directed by Harold Ramis
. The original music score was composed by George Fenton
.
Doug Kinney (Michael Keaton
) finds his time stretched to the limit between his wife, career and family, until he meets a helpful scientist
who offers to clone
him. After Doug realizes that he is having trouble at home managing the kids, while his other clone is at work, he decides to make another clone to help around the house, as another one of his clones realizes he is having trouble he then also gets a clone. Leading to a guest house full of clones - all played by Keaton and each with a different personality - while his unsuspecting wife Laura Kinney, (played by Andie MacDowell
) is confused about Doug's sudden personality changes.
) is a Los Angeles
construction
worker whose job is constantly getting in the way of his family. On one job to build a new wing of a scientific facility, Doug meets up with Dr. Leeds, a friendly scientist who has developed a successful method for cloning
humans, and is introduced to Dr. Leeds' clone as proof. The scientist, who is sympathetic to Doug's troubles, allows Doug to make a clone of himself that can take over for him at work, while he tries to spend some quality time with his family. The clone, called Two has all of Doug's memory and knowledge, but is overly macho. The clone seems to be a dream come true, but while taking his wife, Laura, (Andie MacDowell
) out to a restaurant
for dinner
, he finds that two is on his own date. Doug realizes clones are not as great as they seem, and Doug begins to worry about his clone being revealed.
Eventually two more clones are made. Three, in sharp contrast to Two, is extremely sensitive and thoughtful. He is much like a housewife
, knowing how to cook
very well, and take care of the house
. (Two considers him a "wuss"). Four is cloned from Two, and has the mentality of an overly-curious child. Unfortunately, since he is a clone-of-a-clone, his IQ is considerably lower than that of his predecessors, since the personality defects are more pronounced when a clone is cloned (The analogy from the movie refers to how a copy of a copy may not be as sharp as the original
), and this causes an annoyed Doug to decree a moratorium on cloning. One night Doug leaves home for a business trip. While Doug is gone each of the clones run into Laura and each one sleeps with her. The next day, Two comes down with a cold and is unable to go to work, so he sends Three, who knows nothing about construction. When Three goes to work, an on-site inspection causes Three to lose Doug's job.
As the movie progresses, Doug's wife becomes increasingly upset with her husband, as she is wondering about Doug's sudden personality changes and how Doug's clones have no memories of discussions Laura unwittingly had with another clone. Thinking Doug is ignoring her, she unknowingly pours out her heart
out to Four, mentioning how (Doug) has never kept his promise on fixing the house, she asks him what he wants and is unromantically told "I want pizza". Upset, she takes the children to live with her parents. When Doug returns, he learns that Laura and the kids have left. He also learns from the clones' confessions that he has lost his job and each one of them have slept with Laura. Trying to figure out how to get Laura back, Four tells him about what she said to him on how he never fixed the house. With the help of the clones, Doug remodels the house and wins back the love of his wife. Doug also tells Laura he is planning to start his own construction business. Realizing Doug can take care of himself now, the three clones move away, later writing Doug that they have set up a successful pizzeria called Three Guys from Nowhere in Miami, Florida. Two becomes the business man of the shop and serves customers, and also gets to meet lots of women. Three is the head chef
, and Four is the delivery boy as well as taking a second job as a paperboy
(It's shown in the end of the film that he tosses a pizza box at a nearby house in the style of a paper boy throw).
.
on April 15, 1998, shortly after the format debuted; the Columbia/Tri-Star release was a single disc release featuring the ability to watch the film either in widescreen or in fullscreen but not featuring any bonus materials. Since then, a new Columbia/Sony release has replaced it, offering only Pan & Scan (1.33 aspect ratio) format. Widescreen support is still available on Region 2 editions of the movie.
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, starring Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
and Andie MacDowell
Andie MacDowell
Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell is an American model and actress. She has received the Golden Camera and an Honorary César.-Early life:...
. The film was co-produced and directed by Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
. The original music score was composed by George Fenton
George Fenton
George Fenton is a British composer best known for his work writing film scores and music for television, although he also writes music for the theatre. His real name is George Howe but he is better known by his pseudonym of George Fenton.-Selected film and television credits:Fenton has composed...
.
Doug Kinney (Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
) finds his time stretched to the limit between his wife, career and family, until he meets a helpful scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who offers to clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
him. After Doug realizes that he is having trouble at home managing the kids, while his other clone is at work, he decides to make another clone to help around the house, as another one of his clones realizes he is having trouble he then also gets a clone. Leading to a guest house full of clones - all played by Keaton and each with a different personality - while his unsuspecting wife Laura Kinney, (played by Andie MacDowell
Andie MacDowell
Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell is an American model and actress. She has received the Golden Camera and an Honorary César.-Early life:...
) is confused about Doug's sudden personality changes.
Synopsis
Doug Kinney (Michael KeatonMichael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
) is a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
worker whose job is constantly getting in the way of his family. On one job to build a new wing of a scientific facility, Doug meets up with Dr. Leeds, a friendly scientist who has developed a successful method for cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
humans, and is introduced to Dr. Leeds' clone as proof. The scientist, who is sympathetic to Doug's troubles, allows Doug to make a clone of himself that can take over for him at work, while he tries to spend some quality time with his family. The clone, called Two has all of Doug's memory and knowledge, but is overly macho. The clone seems to be a dream come true, but while taking his wife, Laura, (Andie MacDowell
Andie MacDowell
Rosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell is an American model and actress. She has received the Golden Camera and an Honorary César.-Early life:...
) out to a restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
for dinner
Dinner
Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...
, he finds that two is on his own date. Doug realizes clones are not as great as they seem, and Doug begins to worry about his clone being revealed.
Eventually two more clones are made. Three, in sharp contrast to Two, is extremely sensitive and thoughtful. He is much like a housewife
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
, knowing how to cook
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
very well, and take care of the house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. (Two considers him a "wuss"). Four is cloned from Two, and has the mentality of an overly-curious child. Unfortunately, since he is a clone-of-a-clone, his IQ is considerably lower than that of his predecessors, since the personality defects are more pronounced when a clone is cloned (The analogy from the movie refers to how a copy of a copy may not be as sharp as the original
Generation loss
Generation loss refers to the loss of quality between subsequent copies or transcodes of data. Anything that reduces the quality of the representation when copying, and would cause further reduction in quality on making a copy of the copy, can be considered a form of generation loss...
), and this causes an annoyed Doug to decree a moratorium on cloning. One night Doug leaves home for a business trip. While Doug is gone each of the clones run into Laura and each one sleeps with her. The next day, Two comes down with a cold and is unable to go to work, so he sends Three, who knows nothing about construction. When Three goes to work, an on-site inspection causes Three to lose Doug's job.
As the movie progresses, Doug's wife becomes increasingly upset with her husband, as she is wondering about Doug's sudden personality changes and how Doug's clones have no memories of discussions Laura unwittingly had with another clone. Thinking Doug is ignoring her, she unknowingly pours out her heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
out to Four, mentioning how (Doug) has never kept his promise on fixing the house, she asks him what he wants and is unromantically told "I want pizza". Upset, she takes the children to live with her parents. When Doug returns, he learns that Laura and the kids have left. He also learns from the clones' confessions that he has lost his job and each one of them have slept with Laura. Trying to figure out how to get Laura back, Four tells him about what she said to him on how he never fixed the house. With the help of the clones, Doug remodels the house and wins back the love of his wife. Doug also tells Laura he is planning to start his own construction business. Realizing Doug can take care of himself now, the three clones move away, later writing Doug that they have set up a successful pizzeria called Three Guys from Nowhere in Miami, Florida. Two becomes the business man of the shop and serves customers, and also gets to meet lots of women. Three is the head chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, and Four is the delivery boy as well as taking a second job as a paperboy
Paperboy
A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, They are often used around the office to run low end errands. They make copies and distribute them. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as preteen boys, often on a bicycle...
(It's shown in the end of the film that he tosses a pizza box at a nearby house in the style of a paper boy throw).
Reception
The film was not a success at the box office, making back less than half of its $45 million budget and received mixed reviews from critics and currently has a 44% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
DVD
The film was first released to DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on April 15, 1998, shortly after the format debuted; the Columbia/Tri-Star release was a single disc release featuring the ability to watch the film either in widescreen or in fullscreen but not featuring any bonus materials. Since then, a new Columbia/Sony release has replaced it, offering only Pan & Scan (1.33 aspect ratio) format. Widescreen support is still available on Region 2 editions of the movie.