Nostalgia Nook: Double Double Toil and Trouble

It’s October! You know what that means! Ghosts, goblins, witches and other creatures come out to play. And our nostalgia nook has witches galore!

And it has Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Yes, those pint-sized twins who dominated the 90s. Especially if you were a girl. From “Full House” to their mystery series to their other movies, they were everywhere. And in one place was the movie “Double, Double Toil and Trouble.”

Fair is foul and SPOILERS are fair.


Lynn and Kelly (Mary-Kate and Ashley) are twins who are tired with being twins. But there are other problems. Mom and Dad (Kelli Fox and Eric McCormack) have financial difficulties and are on the brink of losing their house. In a last ditch attempt, they go to ask Mom’s Aunt Agatha (Cloris Leachman) for a loan. A gravedigger (Wayne Robson) informs the curious twins that their great aunt is a witch—in both meanings of the word. Aunt Agatha refuses to give the loan and then freaks when she sees Lynn and Kelly.

At home, Mom tells her twins about Aunt Agatha’s twin sister, Sofia (also Cloris Leachman). She was the good twin but she disappeared seven years ago. It is believed she ran off and eloped with some man she had met. Except, she hadn’t. Agatha trapped her twin in a mirror which she plans to seal that night. Lynn and Kelly learn this and go to save their other great-aunt. Along the way, they gain help from a hobo named Mr. N (Meshach Taylor), a clown named Oscar (Phil Fondacaro) and the gravedigger. Can they discover the way to save Aunt Sophia and their house?

It’s a kooky tale, but entertaining. The Olsen twins aren’t too bad, though they do better with the more sassy dialogue than sentimental. Fox and McCormack are relatively minor characters. And neglectful parents. Daughters are able to run off? Why didn’t they check to make sure they didn’t need anything to drink or eat? Just stop and make them take the covers off? Didn’t they speak to them? And then when they are found, they make no fuss over being with a hobo and a clown? Why were their children even talking to a stranger? Didn’t they learn about stranger danger?

Leachman does her best to be campy. She really chews the scenery and goes over the top as Aunt Agatha. And it’s great to watch. Especially as she really reigns it in as the sugary sweet Aunt Sofia. It’s a shame they do away with Aunt Agatha.

It’s also a shame they don’t explore the magical world that apparently exists alongside ours. A world that’s only touched on—inhabited by witches, goblins and ghouls. It seemed interesting—especially as it seems Lynn and Kelly have their own magic which is never addressed. Is it tied to being twins? Like that remake of “Escape to Witch Mountain”? The one with Elisabeth Moss and Erik von Detten? I think it aired on “The Magical World of Disney.”

Anyway, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Now, a personal note: Clearly, I am a fan of the Nostalgia Critic. So it is with sadness that I bid a fond farewell to the character. I look forward to what Doug and company have planned in the future.

One thing I looked forward to was January because Doug always did a theme during that month. So I’m going to take over! Why mention it now and not in, say, December? Simple—This January, I’m going to do a weekly Nostalgia Nook dedicated to the vast empire created by the Olsen Twins. Here’s the schedule:

Jan. 5: It Takes Two
Jan. 12: The Olsen and Olsen Mystery Agency
Jan. 19: The Olsens Sing!
Jan. 26: “Two of a Kind”/”So Little Time”

Enjoy!

Next month: Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale