“The Identical” is a clever and original movie! Blake Rayne is a discovery in the twin roles of Ryan Wade and Drexel Hemsley. A young couple, William and Helen Hemsley, have twins during the Great Depression and after hearing their local pastor, Rev. Wade, explain the heartache he and his wife have gone through following her miscarriage, William convinces Helen to give one of their twins to the couple so as to help the Wades and themselves by easing their financial burden.

Ray Liotta is excellent as the fiery preacher that wants young Ryan to follow in his footsteps as a pastor. Ashley Judd is also marvelous as his wife Helen. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn’t hear the call to preach, but rather a call to sing and entertain. He loves Drexel Hemsley, not realizing he is his own twin brother. The humorous moments and music help make this movie a winner. The audience follows Ryan on his journey as he falls in love with a woman (Erin Cottrell) who encourages him in his music. He begins to sing like Drexel Hemsley and in an ironic moment, enters a contest for the “best identical Drexel” and Drexel himself shows up to proclaim the winner. There are strong similarities to Elvis Presley in this story. Ultimately, the idea that one should be what God created one to be, and not a copy of someone else, makes a great statement in the movie. We award this entertaining movie, “The Identical”, our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. This original and clever movie entertains and should not be missed!