The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (2009)

What a great movie this is! If you like to be entertained and have a good laugh, you will like this movie. It is a very interesting tale of two remarkable Kiwi women who are identical twins. It charts their lives from early years growing up on a farm, their involvement in New Zealand's political and social issues of the times, and their rise to fame on the national and international stage. The subjects are likable and down to earth, and funny and spirited. They have an amazing joyous attitude throughout everything, and the audience can feel this. The singing of the twins is also great, with beautiful harmonies. It is presented in a straight forward and simple style, which is perfect, as the main subjects are so diverse. The director has allowed the twins' humorous eccentricities, their love of life, and strong joyful spirits to shine through! Don't miss it!

I'm gay, and the friend I went to see this with is a lesbian, and we like gay-positive films, and the New York Times review of this was VERY positive, so we went, expecting to have a good time. Not so much. The accents are almost impenetrable (and we both thought we understood folks from Down Under pretty well), the sound quality in general is awful (at least at the Shattuck Cinema in Berkeley), and the "story" is pretty thin and repetitive. The stereotypes they are poking fun at must be local ones, as we found the songs and skits pointless, silly, and way out of date. SO unless you are already a fan of the Topps, and speak Kiwi, don't expect much from this.

A feel-good movie that captures one's attention from the beginning and keeps it riveted to the end. The story of the Topp Twins unfolds chronologically with humor. They share the stage with other New Zealand artists and activists, whom we don't have the pleasure of knowing about here in the United States. The movie tickles with gender shifts, positive political activism, music, family, respect, and love while imparting important messages about tolerance, class differences, human rights, and the power of enjoying one's life to the fullest. As an identical twin, I enjoyed watching the connection between Jools and Linda play out over the time period covered by the movie. The editing of the title song at the end is brilliant as it shifts from one time period to another. The movie is inspiring and uplifting and a darn good time!

I am a big fan of the documentary genre but I would not have chosen to see this film. I didn't know a great deal about the Topp Twins and I wasn't that interested. I went because my 60 year old mother wanted to see it. I am very glad that she did. I think this is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. I was immediately engaged in the story and I found the Twins themselves to be inspirational. I enjoyed the music, laughed out loud, cried a little and came away feeling a better person simply for having spent an hour and a half with these two wonderful women. And I wasn't the only one who responded in this way. I have never before been to a film where the audience clapped along with the music and applauded at the end as if they were at a live concert. I honestly enjoyed every minute.