Multiplicity

[00:00:00] It's my birthday, so you know what that means. I get to pick the movie. This year, we're celebrating with Multiplicity from 1996, the sci-fi comedy where Michael Keaton proves that sometimes, more isn't always better. From clone chaos to classic 90s humor, let's see if this birthday pick still holds up.

[00:00:20] Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast. I'm Jackie. And I'm Danielle, and we're just two best friends and ex-blockbuster employees re-watching some of the best and worst movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. And this week, it's a special one because we're celebrating Jackie's birthday.

[00:00:50] That's right. And for my birthday pick, I had to go with Multiplicity, the 1996 sci-fi comedy that gave us four versions of Michael Keaton. Because honestly, who wouldn't want an extra copy of themselves to help get things done? I don't know. That would be too... I don't think the world could handle four versions of me.

[00:01:16] But before we dive in, let's get into some housekeeping. If you love the podcast and you want to support us, here's a few ways you can. Help us out by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Your reviews help us grow and keep the nostalgia alive. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button when you hit the reviews.

[00:01:42] So you don't miss any of our deep dives into your favorite Y2K movies. And if you want to show off your love for nostalgia and us, check out our No More Late Fees merch at nomorelatefees.revelable.com. From movie-inspired designs to podcast swag, we've got something for every movie lover. So Danielle, lay it on us. What is Multiplicity about?

[00:02:05] Well, Multiplicity follows Doug Kinney, an overworked husband and father who stumbles upon a groundbreaking cloning experiment. With too many responsibilities and not enough time, he creates multiple versions of himself to help juggle work, family, and life. But when each clone develops their own quirks, things spiral out of control in a hilarious way.

[00:02:30] The movie stars Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton, Michael Keaton, and Michael Keaton, along with Andy McDowell, Harris Yulin, and Eugene Levy. The movie was directed by Harold Ramis and was written by Chris Miller, Mary Hale, and Lowell Gantz. You can currently watch it on Amazon Prime for rent, which means you've got to pay people. It's not free anywhere. Trust me looked. But before we start, let's get into our ratings rewind.

[00:03:00] So you know the drill. Before we get into the movie, we'll reveal the rating or Y2K versions of ourselves we give. Then at the end, we'll see if our current selves agree with our initial rating. Our scale consists of would buy it, would buy it again. The best would plan repeat. Five day rental. Would watch again. Two day rental. Eh, okay, but nothing to write home about. And same day rental. Straight up.

[00:03:28] It's a garbage dump, Steve. Danielle, what was your Y2K rating of multiplicity? It was a five day rental. I don't own it, but I remember laughing a lot. I had good memories when I thought about this movie. This was a Conley family classic. Dad loved Michael Keaton. So heavy rotation in our household. So it was definitely a would buy for us.

[00:03:56] I sent a very vague, nondescript still of while I was watching it to my family. And like, not even like 15 seconds, my sister replied, a chainsaw? She knew immediately what I was watching. So Conley family classic over here. All right. Well, let's dive into the box office.

[00:04:23] So this movie, this movie had a budget of $45 million, but only made $37 million worldwide. It was released July 17th. And when it came out, it ranked seventh at the U.S. box office for that weekend. It was not a success. Some blamed the Olympic Games. And John Crier, who's the head of exhibitor relations, disagreed that the Olympics were to blame.

[00:04:52] Instead, saying competition from other films were the cause since total grosses were the same as the previous years. Multiplicity was competing for the same audiences as Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor. And Independence Day was still holding on because remember, it came out like what? I think the first week. Yeah. Of July, for 4th of July, obviously.

[00:05:18] So yeah, it was that's really hard competition to be up against those juggernauts. And they're two different genres. Yeah. Yeah. Didn't have a chance. That's so disappointing. Well, let's see what Lil Raj had to say. Okay. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2.5 out of 4 and wrote,

[00:05:43] Groundhog Day had a certain sweetness and even a sly philosophical depth, but multiplicity is more of a ground-level comedy. In which we can usually anticipate the problems for Doug and his clones. I will say, Jackie, I haven't seen this movie in years. So I just watched it today. And I hate to say it, but I have to pull out the burn book on some things that happen. And it's mainly Doug.

[00:06:13] Now that my frontal lobe has completely developed. Yes. Doug, we need to talk. Doug number one. And I need to talk. Yes. But we'll get into it. But before we get into cast and crew, let's hear a message from our pod pals. All right, Paul. So I think it's time we, you know, made a trailer. Do we have to? Like, people keep asking.

[00:06:43] So we're going to deliver. Well, what are we supposed to do in this damn trailer? You know, we're just going to talk about shit we do here. We theme our months, right? Like, what do we... I mean, I know we've done stuff like musicals and animation months and creature features. All sorts of stuff. But is that what you're talking about? Yeah, it's something kind of like that. Then I'm probably going to sit there and tell people, you know, we're on all social medias. We're on the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. And it's all under Flicks and Friends Podcast. Yeah, I guess so. If they're not tired of hearing that by now. Yeah.

[00:07:13] So, but yeah, that'll work. Should we press record? Yeah, let's press record right now. All right, Jackie. Cast and crew. So Harold Ramis, the director, tried to convince Tom Hanks to star in the film. I think you would have done fine. I love Michael Keaton in this. I think he does a fantastic job as all the Dugs.

[00:07:39] Yeah, I mean, I'm sure a million different people could play this in a sense. I do think Tom Hanks would have been funny, but I just don't see anyone else right now beating Michael Keaton.

[00:07:58] Like, he did such a good job in the sense that each one of them distinctly felt like their own person, but also still had the core essence of Doug. Yes. Which is, like, not an easy feat, especially since, like, he's playing off body doubles. There is nobody there when he's doing this. Mm-hmm.

[00:08:24] I mean, I would say it's almost the league of Lindsay Lohan in Parent Trap. That's a high regard for me. I will say, like, acting-wise and the difficulty in playing the same character but, like, slightly different four times. And even just, like, it's 1996. We don't have the luxury of, like, the technology and CGI that we have today.

[00:08:53] Everything had to be replicated and replicated so that they could get all of, like, shot reverse shots. Like, all of that. Like, it had to be so incredibly technical. Yeah. And for him to still bring, like, yes, Doug is incredibly problematic as a character, but Michael Keaton to have the same, like, energy for all four of these characters and carry that throughout the movie.

[00:09:22] I was like, this is an incredible, like, just from a cinematic perspective, I'm like, everyone should watch this movie. Yeah. Like, it's so well shot. Yeah. Harold Ramis did an amazing job. Like, again, the, like, the things that I probably have issue with is that, like, now I'm older. I've been in relationships.

[00:09:51] And I think what his core issue was, so many of us are having that discussion now, which is so insane. Like, especially after COVID. I mean, we're talking about the roles of men and women in a household. We're talking about how work over the overconsumption of having to work takes up so much of your time that you really don't have time to do anything else.

[00:10:20] And I think one thing that we really don't talk about a lot is that when we get into relationships and when we have children, I know moms really go through this. They lose their sense of identity because everything becomes, like, he talks about it a lot that he doesn't have time to, like, just sit and think for himself or just be with himself. And I just think that's so unnatural when you think about it, you know, that you can't even do that.

[00:10:50] Yeah. So. And I'm sure we'll get into it more when we get into the story. So Michael Keaton was originally considered for Bill Murray's role in Groundhog Day, which was also directed by Harold Ramis. And his love interest in that was also Andy McDowell. But he turned that down. So I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I think I love Bill. Like, Groundhog Day is one of my all-time favorite movies.

[00:11:17] But what I loved about it was that you can slowly see the transition of him being kind of self-centered and an asshole. But then towards the end, you know, you see him, his heart come through. And I think that was what the odd part about this movie was that I felt like I didn't feel Doug's heart in this whatsoever. Like, it came off very selfish a lot of the times. Yes.

[00:11:44] And if they had just a little bit of the heart that you saw in Groundhog Day or the progression of him actually really learning a lesson, I think I would have really enjoyed this movie. Well, and I know Michael Keaton has said in interviews out of all of his movies he would be most interested remaking this movie with the technology we have today.

[00:12:05] And I think that would be a really interesting concept because then you would have an opportunity to revisit the pitfalls of this movie in which Doug is very self-centered and not considerate of like his wife is probably having the same feelings and she is not replicating herself. She is just doing it. So I think I would be super excited if we got like Multiplicity 2.0 and we're able to see it again.

[00:12:34] I would love it if we got Multiplicity 2.0 but instead his wife actually is the one getting clones and perspective. And then Steve's clones have to come back to help because things get out of control. Or maybe not. I don't know. But that would be so he could still play the roles. Let's write the script. Let's do it.

[00:12:58] But speaking of like the screenplay and stuff, I think it's interesting because so like around 93, Columbia Pictures was reported of being in the process of acquiring Multiplicity. And it came from a husband and wife writing team, Chris Miller and Mary Hale. And they based it on a short story by Miller, which was published in National Lampoon.

[00:13:24] Which makes sense because so much of this sounds like it probably came from the perspective of a married couple. However, Harold Ramis said he wrote much of the script uncredited. So I wonder if some of the nuances of the script got changed, especially from Mary's perspective. Because Harold went and rewrote a lot of it.

[00:13:48] And he went uncredited because the Writers Guild has a rule that prevents directors from getting credit on their film unless they contribute more than 50%. And he contributed 40% of the screenplay. So I don't know. My gut instinct makes me feel like there's too much male energy in that script. Yes. Because you do see in the wife's character, she is talking about very real things that women.

[00:14:19] And we have terms for it now. Mental load versus physical load. And she expresses that her mental load. Or you see it in action when he's supposed to be taking the daughter for photos at the dance studio and stuff. And he's like, I don't know what the fuck to do. And she's like, you do this. The kid will tell you how to do her hair. It's not that hard. But she knows all the bits and pieces.

[00:14:46] She is maintaining the bulk of that mental load. And when she approaches Doug and says, hey, like, the kids are at a point now where I need to find myself again. I want to go back to work. I want to do stuff for me. And he kind of, like, pushes back on that. Well, I just push back. He's a full-on hissy fit. And almost violent in a way, which was, that took me back. Yeah. So let's go ahead and jump in.

[00:15:16] So we're introduced to Doug. He's a construction worker married to his wife, Laura, played by Andy McDowell. They have two young kids. And you can see he's just pulled in a million different directions. Like we all are. This is not a unique story to Doug. Which he thinks it is. Yes. Doug thinks he's the only one struggling. And I do have empathy for him because there's a lot of stuff happening at work.

[00:15:44] But if my therapist was to look at this, she probably would say some of the things that Doug is experiencing could be avoided if he set some boundaries. If he, like, he has, he gets in trouble because Gene Lemmy. Yeah. He fucks up by demolishing the wrong house's driveway. So now he's stuck with this.

[00:16:12] Instead of firing the guy for what looks like not the first fuck up. And so he gets in trouble about it at work. You know. It also seems like Doug has time management issues. Yep. Like he's trying to do too much here and there. Maybe some ADHD going on there. Because, like, his boss tells him that he doesn't, like, finish, he hasn't finished projects. Mm-hmm. So, yeah. Yeah.

[00:16:42] This, a lot of this could have been solved not by replicating yourself, but just going to a therapist and getting on some ADHD medication. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And more communication with his wife. Like, she is there to support him. Like, we see that very obviously in the movie. And, like, if he had shown the same amount of support, it would have been this team effort.

[00:17:09] Instead of him struggling over here and her struggling over here, they could have figured out a way to make it work. But, again, Doug thinks he is unique in this situation and no one else is struggling on the same level as he is. There's no thought outside of himself this whole movie until she takes action. Yeah. I also, I hate to blame Laura in this, but I do.

[00:17:35] Because this behavior is normal for them because she's allowed it to be normal for them. Yeah. And, like, the way she even says that she wants to go back to work, she doesn't say she's going back to work. She asks him for permission, which blew my mind. But I know this is a different time, I guess. I don't know. But I was like, girl, you crazy.

[00:17:59] And so I live with someone who undiagnosed but has ADHD. And he likes projects. And we call him the 80%er because about 80% of the way through a project, it's done enough. And it loses the sparkle and the newness and he moves on to something else. But if something is really important to me, he will do it.

[00:18:25] Like, if I ask him to do a project, he will do it and he will finish it because he knows it's important to me. So the fact that they're sitting in this house that is, like, in some areas has no drywall. Like, the walls have been taken down and they're just sitting in, like, a half-renovated house for God knows how long. I'm like, bro, like, your family has to live here. Right. What are you doing?

[00:18:53] It's like having a dentist as a husband but your family's teeth are jacked. Yeah. You're like, make it make sense, bro. Like, what's happening? I always say, like, the cobbler's children have no shoes. It's because, like, my car never gets worked on because all the other cars are getting worked on. But as soon as I say that phrase, Ken's like, okay, I'll go change your brakes. It's so funny.

[00:19:17] I learned recently that my great-grandfather was a shoemaker. Oh. And so, like, it's funny to me because everyone talks about my granny. But I'm like, you know, I never hear nobody talk about grandfather. And the despise that came from my grandmother that was like, ugh. From Nana? Yeah. She did not like her daddy. She's like, we ain't had no shoes.

[00:19:45] And that Negro was a shoemaker. I hear you, Nana. I was like, damn. So we, so now Doug is on a construction site. Other people, like, it seems like he has surrounded himself by idiots that don't know how to do anything. So then he is overly stretched because he is compensating for their errors.

[00:20:15] But, again, not firing anyone. Right. So, but then, like, and it's at this university. And so this, like, real, it seems like a real hippy-dippy doctor, professor comes up to him. He's like, hey, I have a solution for you.

[00:20:34] Which I'm sure whatever board of certification or scientific board would have locked his ass up because it's so unethical that he's just doing this without. I hear cloning. When they make a clone of two, I'm like, and the professor man said this was okay. Like, without Doug number one's permission. Right. And you're making a clone of a clone now? Like, what is happening?

[00:21:06] Yeah. So we do get. What I, just like our script, what I would love is if Laura gets a clone and that clone has, wants nothing to do with Doug. Oh, like lesbian Laura? Not even lesbian. Like, she just leaves him and finds, like, she goes and finds a way better dude. Like, because there's a part of Laura that's like, I could do better. And she does. She does go and do.

[00:21:36] Like, almost, what I would love is if every clone version of Laura has no interest in Doug. None. Yeah. Like, new boyfriend, gay, asexual. Like, all of them are like, yeah. It's not for me. Like, that would be hilarious. Like, old cat lady. Like, I just want to move to a compound with my friends and have cats. Yeah. I don't, I don't want this.

[00:22:06] So we meet Doug number two. And he's kind of like the more masculine version of Doug. Yeah. And his voice is Beetlejuice Light. That took me out of the movie a little bit. But, like, at times I'm like, that's just Beetlejuice's voice. And I'm like, oh, okay. That's Doug number two. So he is the one that, like, he's going to work every day. He's running a tight ship on the construction front.

[00:22:33] And that frees Doug number one up to help more at the house. I had questions. Like, I would just imagine. Because Doug one is kind of running everything. And telling, giving them rules. Like, they're not allowed to be with Laura. That's rule number one. You're not allowed to sleep with Laura. But, like, he is the only one working. And making money for all of them. Now, mind you. Before they had four mouths to feed.

[00:23:03] Now, how many more do they have? And off of his one paycheck. And he's the only one working. I started to think too hard about it. But. Yeah. Especially when four comes into play. And, like, he's just. He's special needs. And he's eating them out of house and home. Right. Yeah. So Doug number two kind of takes care of the work thing. Things.

[00:23:37] Running a household is hard work. Right. Even though I don't have to work work right now. This shit's still really hard. He takes his wife. To a restaurant. As if they're going to have, like, a great date night. She's super excited. And he tries to break it down to her. That, yeah, this isn't working. Not. And she doesn't even know there's a motherfucking clone. Yeah.

[00:24:05] She just knows that she has told him that she wants to go back to work. Which she did. She goes back to work at a real estate firm or whatever. And she pretty much said, you need to help out around more in the house. Initially, before the clones, he freaks the fuck out on her and makes her cry. Yeah. Like, he is eating cereal and he slams that shit. Yes.

[00:24:31] Like, it was very abusive light to me. Yeah. So now things are good because they have the clone. So he's not having to go to work and stuff. But, like, he's trying to tell her, this ain't gonna work for me. You need to go back to your role. And this is the one time I feel like she shows that she has some sort of backbone because she tells him no. I feel like this is the wife's writing.

[00:24:58] Like, the little bit we get of Laura's pushback of, like, no, we're gonna have to figure this shit out because I'm not quitting my job. And she has one of those jobs where she can be available for the kids and stuff. She just needs a little extra help. She's not doing, like, an office 9 to 5 where she's not gonna be home till 6 at night. Right. And I need you to have dinner on the table. I need you to pick up the kids. It's a little bit of help.

[00:25:24] Hey, if I'm showing a house, can you go run the kid to dance class? And I hate the idea. This is, like, one of the things that bothers me. And maybe this is why I'm not married and don't have kids. But I hate the idea that you guys go half on a baby, right? Like, you go and have this child together. And it seems as if I'm asking you for help to take care of your own child. Yeah. I don't get it.

[00:25:53] Like, why do I have to ask you for help? But like you said, it has to be, like, a teammate situation. And I really just think that before you get into a marriage, you have to have those conversations about what is expected and what you want to do. I know that can change. I know a lot of people think that they have no idea what it's like to go in to have children, first and foremost. And that could, you could flip. Like, I don't want this shit.

[00:26:23] But, yeah, you need to talk about that. And it's not just my child. That is your child. Yeah. This is our household. This is not just my household. And I think, like, I saw a TikTok recently where a lady was just talking about, like, it's not even, like, the husbands are always like, yeah, just tell me what to do. And I'm happy to help.

[00:26:47] It's like, no, you need to be thinking about what runs this household and taking the initiative of just fucking doing it. I shouldn't have to tell you that, like, we need to go out and buy more toilet paper. You see, like, you're taking the last roll. Okay, let me run out and get more. Not, I'll put it on my list for my wife to buy. Right. And here's the thing that never sits right with me.

[00:27:14] Before we got together, and this is why, like, I really, I personally think people should, like, at least have some time to, like, live by themselves and then, like, get together. But, like, if you were living by yourself before we got together, you had to get paper towel. You had to get groceries. So, you know, I don't know what ends up the shift that happens for a lot of men where they don't do it.

[00:27:43] Now, I'm saying a lot of men, not all men. I don't want to hear it. But a good amount of them, they were living whole lives beforehand. Now, I know there's some men who were living disastrous lives where they weren't clean and all that other stuff. That's a whole other subject. But if you were taking care of yourself, why all of a sudden that we're together now, you don't know how to do anything? Yeah.

[00:28:12] So, and we see they have, like, an apartment over their detached garage. And so that's where Doug, and it's, like, a disaster. Like, they've just used it for storage for a really long time. And so he kind of just puts Doug number two up there, and he's like, here you go. Like, you can clean it up. It's fine. Like, bitch, you just made me. I'm brand new. And now I have to clean this entire place and live by myself and, like, be isolated. And I don't get to see my wife, which I have all the memories of her. Right.

[00:28:43] And now I don't get to see her or my kids. And you just, like, expect me to go to work? Like, so selfish. And he doesn't, but it's, like, so many good metaphors that he doesn't even love himself. Yeah. Yeah, because, like, I would have been much happier if he was, like, hey, this is what we're going to do. Like, I'm going to go to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday. You go Tuesday, Thursday. And, like, we'll just debrief each other each night.

[00:29:10] And then, like, and that way I get a break. Like, you get a break. Right. Type thing. But, no, it's like, okay, you work now. And I'm just going to be at the house doing whatever. Go yachting. Yeah. The fuck? It's real. Like, it would be like, okay, my dude, here's the plan. You get acclimated with work and stuff. You could be in the house with Laura. I'm going.

[00:29:39] I just need a week's vacation. And then we could swap you do the same. Yeah. Because he, like you said, he has the same mental load as the first version. Yeah. So, he, too, needs a break. Like, what do you mean? Yeah. Yeah. Doug number one is. Doug number one is an asshole. Doug number one needs a kick in the ass and some therapy. So, because it's all overwhelming at home and Laura's like, the fuck?

[00:30:09] I'm not quitting my job. Figure it out. His solution is I'll just go clone myself again to handle all the house stuff. And then I'll get time for myself. Which I, what I really don't like with this is that this Doug number three isn't, like, if Doug number two is ultra masculine, Doug number three is ultra feminine.

[00:30:32] And it's almost to say, in order, this works because you have to be feminine to do these things. Yes. Didn't like that. Yeah. Although I do really like the scene where he's, like, looking at her and, like, he puffs out her hair and he goes, like, do this. I did really love that. Yeah.

[00:30:54] I also love how her eyes roll and glaze over when he is showing her how to take food and put in aluminum foil properly without air. And I was dying because it felt like something my mom would say to me when I just want to get out of the kitchen. The mansplaining that happens in that kitchen. And the TTF, tuck, tuck, fold. Like, so no arrogance to it.

[00:31:21] She's like, bitch, like, I've been doing this our entire relationship. Don't be telling me how to fucking put leftovers in the freezer or refrigerator. And he's like, oh, second shelf in the freezer where the meats are. Like, yeah, I would definitely think he had bipolar disorder or something. Something. 100%. Is off. And I think at one point she does say, like, are you okay? Like, do we need to get you checked out? Because this back and forth is not working for me. Wild.

[00:31:51] Wild. It's also crazy that in that same restaurant scene, the restaurant, the people at the maitre d' at the restaurant was being really weird to Doug Wan. And they both noticed it but kind of just, like, played it off. And then you realize it's because Doug number two is there with Anne Cusack, one of the ladies from his job. And he's telling her, oh, he's been living in the garage for a month. And she's so down to sleep with this married man.

[00:32:21] Oh, yes. It's insane. She is part of the problem. But it's true. Like, that's why his solution to Doug number two's issues, which is like, hey, I'm lonely. I'm lonely. I have no friends. And I can't even sleep with my wife. So what do you want me to do? So that's when he's like, oh, I will just get another clone who's going to do the housework.

[00:32:48] Which works out for him because it's like, it's kind of weird if Doug number one doesn't want, doesn't have supposedly that in him about wanting to, like, keep the house. Why would all of a sudden this clone have that ability? Yeah. I thought that was weird. So we run into some issues with Doug number three because he's in the house all the time. Because he is the one who has to do all the housework and the cooking and the cleaning.

[00:33:18] And Laura has needs. And she's like, hey, Doug, let's do this. And so there's this whole scene where Doug number one is furious. And he's like, that's when he comes up with the rules of, like, no one sleeps with my wife but me. It's like, well, you put him in this situation. Like, she doesn't know. And she just wants to have sex with her husband.

[00:33:43] And they also fuck up because if Doug number one and Doug number one, they should be having daily meetings to say what's going on. Yes. So that everyone's on the same page of this is what's happening at work and this is why I did it. And this is what happened in the household. These are the questions that were asked. These are the decisions I made. So that, like, there is continuity. Yes. But they don't fucking think of that. And so it's a mess. Well, because that would have been Laura's job to plan.

[00:34:13] I do want to give it to my girl, Laura, because she got dicked down three times. Doug number one decides he wants to go to Catalina with because he's been secretly taking sailing lessons. That whole thing was weird to me. So weird. Like, so such a random subplot. Yeah. That didn't need to be in the movie.

[00:34:39] Also, we get Julie Bowen in it randomly, which I believe this was like her second movie after debuting in Happy Gilmore. Yeah. I was like, okay, that's Julie Bowen. She's here on a boat. And like, and then it was like the whole thing of like, Doug was like seasick the whole time. So he didn't even enjoy his little vacay. And then he comes back. And Laura, but Laura had a great time on his vacation.

[00:35:08] She slept with Doug number two. I mean, Doug number two was trying his hardest to get out of that bed, but she was trying the hardest to keep him in bed. I love the part where after Doug number one, they sleep together on the couch and she's going back to bed. He's like, okay, I guess you're going upstairs. And she's like, what the fuck? You're trying to wake the kids up?

[00:35:32] And he was like sending warnings to Doug number two to fucking hide because now I'm down for two to Doug number three. And then Doug number four wanders in the house because like termites, he ate everything. And when she told Doug number two to close the windows because it was raining in the vulvo.

[00:35:58] And so when she sees Doug number four all wet, she's like, oh, you poor thing. She brings him upstairs. And Doug number three, who's in the bed, hears that. And he goes hide. Well, he hid because of Doug number two shouting. But then he hears Doug number four coming. And they go in the bathroom. He's in the bathroom in the shower hiding. And Laura's like trying to dry him off. And she sees that he is ready to go.

[00:36:28] And she's like, again? And he's like, maybe be yourself. What did he call it? It's my puppet. Yeah. Which I ethically, I had issues with this because he's special needs. And like, so we didn't even talk about the creation of Doug number four.

[00:36:51] So Doug number two and three decide like between the two of them, they're struggling to get everything done. So they're like, let's clone Doug number two. We get Doug number four, who's special needs. And the way they describe it is, you know, when you make a copy of a copy and it's not quite as good as the original. And we meet Doug number four, who has some of my favorite lines in all of cinema.

[00:37:20] When he takes that slice of pizza that he's been licking and he sticks it in his wallet for later. He's like, I have a license. Do you have a car? Like there are so many lines from this that like my family will randomly like bust out saying. Like you better believe when someone wants information and we're like not willing to give it freely.

[00:37:47] We'll be like, maybe like what he's sitting there with the Coke, like pouring little sips. And he's getting information from Doug number four. And he calls Doug number one Steve. Oh, it's just, it's, it's so good. But I love how sweet and nurturing even Doug number two and Doug number three are with Doug number four. Yeah. They don't try to like abandon him. They take good care of him.

[00:38:15] And it's very interesting that the like week that Doug number one is gone and Doug number three isn't in the house. That their apartment looks a mess. Yeah. And there's no food and whatever. So it's just cute. Like the three of them. And they talk about like how they actually take the blades out of the razors so that Doug number four doesn't hurt himself. And they, they shave him at night. Yeah. It's just so sweet. Yeah. I love that.

[00:38:43] Like it is problematic, but I just, the way he is played as just so childlike and innocent, like I just love it. And then like, he does really funny things in the background. And this is a true testament of what a comedic genius Michael Keaton is. It's like the things he does with Doug number four's character.

[00:39:08] Like he, he like nails two by fours to his shoes and pretends like he's skiing. Like things like that. And it's just in the background. It's not like a main focus of the scene. But yeah, when Doug number one comes back, then they're all like confessing like, hey, this shit happened. Shit hit the fan while he was gone. And then so it's like Doug number one, his head's exploding. And then Doug number, so two and three confess.

[00:39:36] And then Doug number four turns to him. He just goes, she touched my pepper, Steve. And he's like, what the fuck? It's the scene behind me. Because what happens is that Doug number two gets really sick. So Doug number three has to go into work for this inspector. He doesn't know what the fuck's going on. And he has to say, hold on and keep on running to the fuck. Like it's not good. So he gets fired.

[00:40:05] On top of that, Doug number two being sick, he's trying to find like medicine. So he ends up going into the house and Laura's trying to talk to him. And he is just like an asshole to her. She slaps him. And then she runs into Doug number four playing with power tools in the garage. Because again, Doug number one, number two is sick. Doug number one's doing God knows where on his vacation. And Doug number three's at work and fired.

[00:40:34] And so she's trying to have like a real vulnerable heart to heart last Hail Mary. And she's dealing with the one who's not deal with that. She's like pleading. And he's like, I want pizza. Yeah. And she's like, bitch, bye. And so like you said, they confess. And then Doug number one is trying to talk to Doug number four about what were the last few things that were said to him by Laura.

[00:41:02] So he figures the way to like fix all of this is to finally do the renovations to the house and make it the way that him and Laura dreamed of. And what he's been promising for years and hasn't. Right. Completed yet. And so they do. They work on the house. I think. Do they fix up the apartment thing above the garage too? I don't remember if they do that or not. But they do a great job. Yeah.

[00:41:32] And it's beautiful. And it's like just what Laura had been dreaming of. And so he finally gets her to come back and is like showing her. And like apparently this is all we need for forgiveness in the eyes of a mostly male written script. I also love that Eugene Levy's character is asked to come back to help with the renovations.

[00:41:59] And he sees four different Dougs and doesn't blink an eye. Yeah. He's just like, okay, let's do this. Right. I mean, he's getting paid. He doesn't. He don't care. And then after all is good and Doug quote unquote learns his lesson, he's decided he's going to go into business for himself. Which I would think that would make Laura even more stressed the fuck out. Yeah. Because that's going to take a while. But I mean, she did say she was doing well at work.

[00:42:29] So. And then the rest of the Dougs pile up in a car and head to Florida. I, I, I'm like, I start thinking about all sorts of things, taxes, social security, like what? Yeah. What is happening? Yep. They just, they go and they open a pizzeria on the beach. So three is in charge of the kitchen.

[00:42:56] Two seems like he runs the front end and like schmoozes all of the tourists. And then four is the delivery guy, but he has the pizzas sideways in his little bike basket. And they said he has two jobs. He delivers papers in the morning and he delivers the pizzas in the afternoon. And the last scene of the movie, it's him like riding down the street and he just yells like pizza. And then like frisbees, a pizza box onto someone's lawn.

[00:43:26] And it freeze frames on it. I was like, we couldn't think of like a better ending. Like that was funny. I think it would have been great as like a post-credits scene. Yeah. But like, we don't really have a conclusion for Doug number one other than like Laura moved back into the house. Yeah. And she also is in the car with the kids and sees the, the, the cars of Doug. And she's like, well, when you love someone, you just see them everywhere. What?

[00:43:53] Well, especially after everything she's experienced. Right. She did like that would make a whole lot more sense. It's like there were multiple Dougs that I was getting instead of one crazy ass Doug. Right. Yeah. Anyway. And that is multiple. Oh, good Lord.

[00:44:23] All right. Well, in this scene when Doug is getting cloned the first time he mentions, he doesn't want to turn out like Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Michael Keaton was offered the lead role of Seth Brundle in the film, but turned it down. I can't watch that movie because it's body horror to a whole nother extent. Yeah. But even though your boo's in it, I could have seen either one of them probably in that one. Yeah.

[00:44:49] Columbia Pictures unsuccessfully challenged the film's PG-13 rating to be changed to PG. In the end, the PG-13 rating was upheld and kept. Yeah. There's some stuff that I think keeps it from PG. Yeah. True. Michael Keaton doesn't wear a wedding ring throughout the movie to prevent continuity errors. Like you said, it's very, the movie was very technical. I don't know how many like mess ups you see. Yeah.

[00:45:19] Yeah. Yeah. And I can see that in his line of work, he wouldn't wear a wedding ring because it would be a hazard. Like if his finger got caught on something, like it's the same with mechanics. They don't wear wedding rings or now they wear silicone because if it catches on something, then it just breaks rather than degliving your finger. Right. And one of the shots, Doug number two tosses a beer to Doug number one.

[00:45:47] Michael Keaton catching the beer, which is tossed by a body double, was shot first. Then Keaton tossing the beer, this time to a body double, was filmed later. Keaton's toss so perfectly matched the body double's original toss that the planned special effects of digital erasing the tossed beer can, then adding in a digital beer can was not needed, thereby saving the production quite a bit of money.

[00:46:13] This was referred to by the special effects crew as the million dollar miracle beer can toss. That's pretty awesome. Yeah. And like in thinking, like looking at the budget for this movie, I was surprised that like 45 million seems low for how many technical and special effects this movie has. Because we just did whatever it takes yesterday and their budget was almost the same.

[00:46:43] Where? Again, we don't know where it went. Where was that? So, yeah, like, I mean, he saved everyone a bit of money. Yeah. Doug Kinney, the character, was named after Ramis' friend and National Lampoon founder Douglas Kinney. Interesting. And then Doug's car is a 1974 BMW 2002.

[00:47:10] And you were talking about Beetlejuice voice earlier. On the day of the building inspection, when Clone 3 calls about Doug being sick, Michael Keaton uses the same voice that he did in the movie Beetlejuice. The building inspector is played by Glenn Shaddix, who also was in Beetlejuice. Yep. Oh, though. All right. If you guys have any comments about this movie, you disagree, agree.

[00:47:38] If you're listening on Spotify, you can leave us a message there. Or you can hit us up at NoMoreLateFees on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and threads. Maybe just give Jackie a shout out birthday message. Yeah. Yeah. She would love it. Okay, so rating. Danielle, what is your present day rating of this movie? It's a two-day rental for me now. I was getting real mad for a minute there.

[00:48:10] For me, I acknowledge that it is a very problematic movie. The whole time I was like, oh, poor Doug. Your wife is still doing this without a fucking clone. Suck it up. Right. But also, I love this movie. And it's a would buy for me. I think if you're looking for a double feature night, Multiplicity and Mr. Mom are perfect. Yeah.

[00:48:40] I was thinking about watching that again. I think it's just, it's so well acted. Like, the character is questionable. But it is so well acted. And Michael Keaton is just, his comedic timing in this flawless. Annie McDowell does a great job with what she's given. I just think it's worth a watch just for the cinematography and the special effects and knowing that it's from the mid-90s. And you'll laugh.

[00:49:10] Yeah. Like, there are laugh out loud funny parts in this movie, which I think gives it a lot of grace for all of the shit they get wrong. But if you have a different opinion about Multiplicity, hit us up at our quick drop, 909-601-6653. Twat us at the Twitters, hum us at the threads, Butterfly in the Sky at Blue Sky, and you can be featured on a future episode.

[00:49:35] And join us next week as we take on the teen rom-com, Whatever It Takes. It's a wild ride. With our pal Gina, who we are indebted to for watching it with us. Yeah. And as always, be kind and rewind.