It Takes Two facts for kids

It Takes Two is a fun American movie from 1995. It stars Kirstie Alley, Steve Guttenberg, and the famous twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The movie's name comes from a popular song by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.

The Story

This movie is about two young girls who look exactly alike but are not related. They meet by chance and decide to switch lives!

Meeting the Girls

First, there's Amanda Lemmon, an orphan. She is about to be adopted by the Butkises, a family known for adopting many children. Amanda really wants her kind social worker, Diane Barrows, to adopt her instead. But Diane can't because she doesn't earn enough money and isn't married.

Then there's Alyssa Callaway. She is a rich girl coming home from a piano competition. She finds out her wealthy dad, Roger, is going to marry Clarice Kensington. Clarice is a very bossy lady who only cares about money. She plans to send Alyssa and her brother Thomas away to boarding school after the wedding.

The Big Switch

The two girls wish they had each other's lives. So, they decide to switch places! Alyssa and Amanda tell Thomas not to tell anyone their secret, and he agrees.

While Amanda enjoys Alyssa's fancy life, Alyssa gets to experience summer camp. As they live each other's lives, they get to know the adults in charge. They soon realize that Roger and Diane would be perfect for each other. The girls desperately try to set them up. They arrange many "chance" meetings, hoping Roger and Diane will fall in love.

Wedding Trouble

Clarice sees Roger and Diane having fun together. She quickly changes the wedding date to the very next day. Soon after, Alyssa, pretending to be Amanda, is adopted by the Butkises. Diane doesn't even know it happened. Alyssa finds out the Butkises only adopt kids to make them work hard in their salvage yard.

About two hours before the wedding, Amanda, pretending to be Alyssa, tells Roger's butler, Vincenzo, the truth. Vincenzo quickly calls Diane and tells her to pick up the real Alyssa from the Butkises' salvage yard. Meanwhile, Vincenzo, Thomas, and Amanda try to delay the wedding.

The Wedding Day

Just as Roger is about to say "I do," Diane bursts into the church with the real Alyssa. Roger sees Diane and remembers all the good times they shared. He realizes he has fallen in love with Diane and tells Clarice.

Clarice gets very angry. She slaps Roger and tries to slap "Alyssa," blaming her. But Vincenzo and Thomas stop her. As Clarice storms away, the real Alyssa steps out. Clarice is shocked to see "two of them" and calls it a "conspiracy." She tries to slap Alyssa again, but Diane steps in front and tells her to "Back off, Barbie!" Diane calmly points out that Clarice has something in her teeth. Humiliated, Clarice tries to leave again. But Alyssa steps on her wedding dress, causing the skirt to rip off!

A Happy Ending

Roger is surprised to learn that Alyssa has been with Diane all this time. He realizes that Thomas, Amanda, and Alyssa planned all their meetings. The girls are very proud of their plan. After some encouragement from the kids, Roger and Diane kiss. The five of them then ride a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park, driven by Vincenzo.

Meet the Characters

Here are the main people you'll meet in It Takes Two:

• Diane Barrows (Kirstie Alley) is a social worker who cares for orphans. She especially loves Amanda and wants to adopt her. But she doesn't earn enough money to do so. Alyssa also really likes her. Diane hopes to find love and thinks Roger might be the one.
• Roger Callaway (Steve Guttenberg) is a very rich widower. He owns Camp Callaway, a summer camp he started with his late wife. He lives in a big house across the lake from the camp. After meeting Diane, he starts to have doubts about marrying Clarice.
• Amanda Lemmon (Mary-Kate Olsen) is an orphan. She loves to play stickball. She comes up with the idea for herself and Alyssa to switch places.
• Alyssa Callaway (Ashley Olsen) is a rich girl. She is Roger Callaway's daughter and Thomas's younger sister. She is a talented pianist and loves horses. She thinks her dad's fiancée, Clarice, is nice at first. But then she hears Clarice saying mean things about the house and her mom. Alyssa goes to Camp Callaway after switching places with Amanda.
• Thomas Callaway (Jeremy London) is Alyssa Callaway's older brother. He is Roger Callaway's son.
• Vincenzo (Philip Bosco) is Roger's butler. He is also Roger's best friend and like a father to Alyssa.
• Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett) is a socialite who only wants Roger's money. She is the opposite of Diane. She doesn't like children or baseball. She also tries to convince Roger that Alyssa is too spoiled.
• Harry (Ernie Grunwald) and Fanny Butkis (Ellen-Ray Henessy) are Amanda's potential adoptive parents. Amanda doesn't like them because she heard they "collect kids" and will "take anybody." They have several adopted children and a biological son named Harry, Jr. (Dov Tiefenbach).