TONIGHT!: If You Like It Then You Shoulda Put A Dead Ringer On It

This. Fucking. Movie.

Let me start with my complete ignorance of what this movie was about. I only knew that Jeremy Irons plays twins, and that’s it. Twins have always fascinated me since my family has had twins in the past, I may have skipped a generation, but I did have hopes of having a dynamic duo. Medicine became the niche of this pair, making them transcendent pioneers in their specialty. Not only did they share an astonishing level of knowledge, but they also shared experiences as well.

One experience turned their dynamic into a series of devastating instances that got worse by the moment. It had an air of lighthearted brotherly tomfoolery that you’d expect from siblings. Introduce an anomaly into this perfected bubble they had, and chaos ensued. While watching, I had completely forgotten that the film was directed by David Cronenburg, a masterful visual artist; in my own opinion, it didn’t feel like a Cronenburg movie like Videodrome and Nightbreed goes from okay to what the fuck reasonably quickly. From that signature moment on that throughout the remainder of the film, we watched two people actively decay before our very eyes.

It took me some time to think about what I wanted to write about this movie. After watching it, I bought the book soon; I like putting faces to characters and creating faces that were likely not adapted to film. The performances were cutting and emotionally crippling for an individual who feels disconnected from their pure, “other” half. I’d hate to think that I’d only watch this movie once, but I will inevitably cry uncontrollably at some parts. This had already happened with another remarkable film of Cronenburg’s, The Fly.

Dead Ringers can be found on Hulu, Sling, and Amazon Prime for premium subscribers.