"The Identical" (2014) movie review."

"More of the Same," Timothy S. Quigley, "Fear of Film" column in Gilbert, July/August 2014.

Twin brothers separated at birth.

One becomes a great rock star — Drexel Hemsley.

The other becomes a great imitator of the star — Ryan Wade.

Ray Liotta

Ashley Judd

"This film is being promoted all over the nation as The Next Great Christian Movie in typical fashion similar to God's Not Dead, The Christmas Candle, and Fireproof. As with those films, this one is not great. In contrast to those films, this one is not even really Christian."

The decision to give the second twin to a pastor and his wife "ends up being the first in a litany of contrivances throughout the film, where it was all too clear on where the filmmakers wanted to go and didn't care how they got there. After the Wades agree to take their child, the Hemsleys stage a burial for their 'dead' son. Because the decision to give away their boy wasn't disturbing enough."

"The film is full of so many hackneyed lines and cliché moments that it would be more appropriate to bill it as a parody."

"My fellow moviegoers: why do we so do this to ourselves? Why do we sell out to buy theaters for these movies? To support Christian filmmakers? Because this isn't support. If the Christian message is one worth spreading, then hold it to the high standard it deserves. Real artists aren't looking to be humored, they're looking to be challenged."

The filmmakers "understand neither Christianity nor filmmaking, relying on maxims that are not true. One is that a movie has to be overtly Christian to be Christian. No. In a culture formed by 2,000 years of Christianity, all art is Christian. ... I would argue that works such as The Shawshank Redemption or Breaking Bad are more Christian, in their way, than Fireproof."

"The maxim of this newest Great Christian Flick is, 'If God is in our dreams, no one can stand against them.' I'll leave you to figure out what that means."