Kiwi entertainment's most irrepressible double act comes to the big screen in Leanne Pooley's documentary - offering a revealing look into the lives of the world's only yodelling lesbian twin country-and-western singers.
Doco uses the Twins' archive of home movies and performance footage, talks in depth to the girls themselves and also their alter egos: Ken and Ken, Camp Mother and Camp Leader, and Prue and Dilly. But this a bigger story, not just charting the career of the two sisters but also the 25 years of seismic social change that accompanied it, as the country struggled to find its national identity.
You often hear how one of the most important things about local films is getting our stories up on screen. If that is truly one of the main factors in determining the cultural worth of New Zealand’s cinematic output, then this documentary is amongst the elite.
What at first appears to be a celebrity biopic soon branches out to be a travelogue of the defining moments in this country’s recent history. It never descends into a dry classroom lesson – a testament to the charismatic presence of the Twins themselves. They have a rare talent for accentuating the comic elements of any given situation, no matter how serious they may first appear.
Likeable mockumentary segments, in which the Twins discuss themselves via various characters, are structured around a recent concert performance that is a brief history of their own lives and a tribute to those who have impacted upon it. The country and western nature of the songs might leave some cold but the way they hold the audience in the palms of their hands is a joy to behold. Like the film itself, it’s a great mix of laughter and heartfelt emotion.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
I moved to New Zealand in 2007, and saw the Topp Twins at a festival about a month later. I'd never heard of them before then, and thought they sounded like something I'd hate, but we saw them by accident and I loved them! My husband and I went to see the film on the strength of their live performance, and we weren't disappointed. It was nothing like their live show, but more of a history of their lives. We learned a lot about them and about New Zealand's recent history, and were thoroughly entertained along the way. We laughed, we felt sad, and we were unfailing impressed. Despite not "getting" any of the references to characters that the twins have played in the past, because I never saw those characters before, I recommend this film to anybody, not just to people from New Zealand.
I'm looking for objective movie reviews, and found these that rave about NZ national pride without giving any information on what the movie's about, so I'm wondering if it will be as good for an Australian audience? Guess I'll have to look elsewhere for an objective review and to decide if I want to see the movie.
Charming loving story about their lives. Musically moving,Daring,Fun,and Honest. The Topp Twins are cool chickys!! 10/10
THIS MOVIE ROCKS ALOT!!! IT ISNT NABOUT THE TOP TWINS MORE A BIG CHUNK OF NEW ZEALAND HISTORY WATCH IT!!
What's right? It's interesting, informative, funny, entertaining, charming, it's set in New Zealand, and we get to listen to the Topp Twins' songs ! What's wrong? Not a thing!
Very funny, very moving… guaranteed to leave the theatre with a spring in your step and a song in your heart.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might just yodel.
They were radicals singing about changing the world and the only person each twin was interested in entertaining was the other. Times change and that is the other fascinating thing about this film - just how much we as a nation have changed in their wake, allowing the old-time radicals to become cuddly Kiwi icons.
Funny, moving, richly intelligent study of the Topps’ life and times...
This lovely little doco will warm the cockles of any heart, and made me feel proud to call myself a Kiwi.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 9th Apr 2009.
Release date: April 9th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
