It Takes Two

Basics
Released: November 17, 1995
Written By: Deborah Dean Davis
Directed By: Andy Tennant
Genre: Family/Comedy/Romance
Length: 101 minutes

Cast
Mary-Kate Olsen . . . Amanda Lemmon
Ashley Olsen . . . Alyssa Callaway
Kirstie Alley . . . Diane Barrows
Steve Guttenberg . . . Roger Callaway
Jane Sibbett . . . Clarice Kensington
Philip Bosco . . . Vincenzo
Michelle Grisom . . . Carmen
Desmond Robertson . . . Frankie
Tiny Mills . . . Tiny
Shanelle Henry . . . Patty

Awards
01. Young Artist Awards: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen were both nominated for Best Performance by an Actress Under 10 in 1996

Synopsis
   Amanda Lemmon and Alyssa Callaway may look alike, but they're living completely different lives. Amanda is an orphan who is under the care of a social worker, Diane Barrows. Alyssa's father owns a technology company and she lives in a mansion with him. The girls are each facing problems: Amanda is about to be adopted by a horrible family who collects children, the Butkises. Alyssa's father, Roger, is planning to marry a rude woman named Clarice. Both tired of their own lives, the girls come up with the perfect solution when they meet in the woods one day--they'll switch places. Alyssa gets to interact with kids her own age and get a break from her father and Clarice, and Amanda experience what it's like to live in a nice home and be wanted. However, this only solves their problem temporarily, because they know that they'll have to switch back eventually. Amanda and Alyssa devise a plan to get Roger and Diane together. It seems to be working, but suddenly the Butkises decide to take Amanda and Alyssa, posing as Amanda, has to go live with them. Amanda, in Alyssa's place, enlists the help of the Callaway's butler, Vincenzo, to get Alyssa back. Can they do it in time to stop Roger from marrying Clarice?

Alyssa (Played by Ashley)
   Alyssa lives with her father in a mansion, and she's used to having him all to herself, since her mother passed away. Alyssa is a little spoiled, but she's still a sweet girl. She speaks with a slight English accent and is used to wearing fancy clothes and being in civilized company. However, what she really wants is to play with children her own age and act like a normal kid.

Amanda (Played by Mary-Kate)
   Growing up in an orphanage in the city, Amanda is a major tomboy. She loves sports and sloppy joes, and uses a lot of slang. While she wants to be adopted, she doesn't want just any family, and the Butkises, who want Amanda, are definitely not the kind of people she wants to live with. She'd love to live with her social worker, Diane, and longs to be wanted.

Trivia
01. In the scrap heap scene with the Butkises, it should be Ashley playing Alyssa, who is pretending to be Amanda, but it's really Mary-Kate.
02. Ernie Grunwald, who plays Harry 'Dad' Butkis, Sr., also played Paul, one of Professor Burke's students, in Two of a Kind.

Bloopers
01. When Alyssa and Amanda meet in the woods, Alyssa's hair keeps going from behind her ear to in front of it.
02. The continuity of the stain on Alyssa's mouth when she is eating sloppy joes at the camp.
03. At the scrap heap Alyssa is wearing a baseball cap, but there are shots of her not wearing it for a moment.