Multiplicity is one of those comedies where you are supposed to turn your brain off whenever it comes to the logic of how the magic works or any of the implications that come with cloning. We're not meant to question why each clone comes out with the exact personality that is necessary for the job he wants them to do, or why one can entirely forget how to be a contractor, or how he affords to feed a bunch of additional adults plus any other expenses they might incur without his wife noticing the extra spending. It's one of those wacky premises where you're kind of meant to go with it until the movie itself raises a question. Most of the way through I was fine with ignoring the illogical nature of things and just going with the flow, because it is an interesting premise for a movie. What if you could literally do 3 things at once, where would you prioritize your own personal time? I couldn't really understand why he didn't work out some type of schedule or shifts so he didn't miss out on too much of his own life, but I guess that's how you reach a moral at the end of the story by not having him handle things intelligently.
It also helps Multiplicity tremendously that Michael Keaton is in the lead role. He pulls off the multiple personalities quite well so you never question which version of Doug you are watching. He also did a fairly good job at the shots where they had to composite more than one version of himself into the same frame. The interactions were fairly seamless, as if we were really watching multiple different people at the same time. Where I struggle a little with this film is that the humor isn't that strong, so I don't find myself laughing all that often. Then there's the fact that this often gets into the realm of cringe comedy, and I have too much empathy to laugh when everything is going wrong for our protagonists. I also found it quite weird that they never once involved the kids in the story of the clones. It's almost like they were bit parts in the film with little to do. In fact, a key point in one early scene is that Doug becomes coach of his son's football team and then we never again see him go to a football game. It's not a big complaint, it's just a strange choice and one area where they could have more fun with the different versions of Doug. Otherwise, Multiplicity is a decent movie with some moderate laughs, even if it's not a huge winner.
It also helps Multiplicity tremendously that Michael Keaton is in the lead role. He pulls off the multiple personalities quite well so you never question which version of Doug you are watching. He also did a fairly good job at the shots where they had to composite more than one version of himself into the same frame. The interactions were fairly seamless, as if we were really watching multiple different people at the same time. Where I struggle a little with this film is that the humor isn't that strong, so I don't find myself laughing all that often. Then there's the fact that this often gets into the realm of cringe comedy, and I have too much empathy to laugh when everything is going wrong for our protagonists. I also found it quite weird that they never once involved the kids in the story of the clones. It's almost like they were bit parts in the film with little to do. In fact, a key point in one early scene is that Doug becomes coach of his son's football team and then we never again see him go to a football game. It's not a big complaint, it's just a strange choice and one area where they could have more fun with the different versions of Doug. Otherwise, Multiplicity is a decent movie with some moderate laughs, even if it's not a huge winner.