The Identical

Combine a mythical Elvis Presley biopic with Footloose, toss in some mistaken-identity shenanigans involving twins, and you’d have something along the lines of The Identical, a bizarre musical drama that laughably tries to pass itself off as an inspirational, faith-based tale of wish fulfillment.

The film is about identical twins. They both grow up to look like Elvis — complete with the same hair, voice, and stage presence — after being raised in the Deep South during a time of cultural and socioeconomic turmoil. But what looks and sounds like a biopic isn’t really a biopic after all, despite the fact that it stars a real-life Elvis impersonator (Blake Rayne) in both of the lead roles.

The twins were born to Alabama parents who couldn’t afford to keep them both. So they agree to allow a Tennessee preacher (Ray Liotta) and his wife (Ashley Judd) — who aren’t able to have a child of their own — to adopt one of them, with the agreement that they won’t reveal the details of his adoption or his brother.

The latter child, named Ryan, gets the bulk of the screen time. He’s raised during the 1950s in a strict household that forbids dancing and social activities outside of church. But he develops an affinity for rock music, performing at local clubs behind his parents’ backs and drawing physical and vocal comparisons to Drexel, his twin brother who has become famous.

Along the way, there’s a romantic subplot, pedantic narration, some typical teenage rebellion and brooding, and a handful of subpar performance sequences (with bland Elvis-like songs) that kill time before the inevitable reveal to Kyle about his past.

Nobody makes more than just a casual connection between the two brothers, even when they are in the same room at one point, which is a distracting stretch.

Acting newcomer Rayne has an adequate screen presence while performing within his comfort zone. But screenwriter Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys) and rookie director Dustin Marcellino keep things safely sentimental instead of exploring the setting and characters with more depth.

There are intriguing ideas buried within The Identical, such as an examination of the fine line between fame and talent, and how sometimes one doesn’t lead to the other. But those possibilities are squandered in a film that’s way out of tune.

Rated PG, 106 minutes.