Director Dustin Marcellino’s The Identical is a throwback to the days of rock ‘n’ roll. The story actually begins in 1936 when William (Brian Geraghty) and Helen Hemsley (Amanda Crew) have new twin boys. Henry visits a revival tent where Pastor Reece Wade (Ray Liotta) asks for prayer as his wife Louise (Ashley Judd) has just had her third miscarriage. That plea for prayer to be able to have a family sets heavy on William’s heart.

Already faced with no job and no way to feed two more mouths, William prays and suggests they give one of the babies to the Wades. Of course, Helen is aghast at this suggestion. But, soon they are handing over one of the boys to the Wades, who at first refuse.

The movie then shows what Ryan’s (Blake Rayne) life is like growing up with a fire-and- brimstone sermon-speaking pastor and his own developing years in the church. Jump to the 1970s as Ryan starts feeling his oats. He loves music, but more than church music. He and his friend Dino (Seth Green) cross the state line to find a roadhouse bar where the tunes are hot and make Ryan want to shake his booty. The guys get by with this a few times until Seth’s dad sends the cops after them for stealing his car. Ryan ends up in jail, which mortifies his dad.

Eventually Ryan and Dino start a band, which makes Ryan ecstatic. Shortly afterwards, he discovers that a guy named Drexel Hemsley (also played by Rayne) has a dynamite career with rock ‘n’ roll. As he starts making comments to his mother about how he feels connected to Drexel, his mother begins to worry. She knows the pop singer is Ryan’s twin brother -- but remembers that she and Reece promised the Hemsleys they would not reveal the boys’ real parents until they had both passed.

While watching the film, it’s apparent that Blake Rayne not only looks and squirms like Elvis (who did have a twin who didn’t survive), he sounds like him. At first I thought Rayne was lip-singing Elvis’s songs because he sounded so much like him.  But none of the songs in the film are ones Elvis performed. They were actually written for this film.

The faith issue is a part of this movie, but the film seems more about caring for others and learning what to do at the right time it’s needed. While nearly all of the critics have brutality criticized The Identical, there’s a lot of entertainment here.

The story of the twins evokes suspense about whether they will meet or not. There’s also plenty of drama here when a father with deep faith and his son -- who wants to spread his wings -- separate.  Additional drama develops concerning a mother who wants what’s best for her son but feels she must remain obedient to her husband.

The music sounds great, and the actors do a good job portraying their characters. Liotta turns in one of the strongest performances he’s done in a while. As a church-going woman, Judd comes across as sweet and believable. Green, a cut up, gets lots of laughs, and Erin Cottrell appears quite sincere as Ryan’s girlfriend. Geraghty and Crew create sympathetic characters as the struggling parents, and Crew also has a poignant scene later in the film.

But it’s Blake Rayne who stands out as the special enjoyment in The Identical. His superb singing and swagger bring back memories of the forever missed Elvis Presley.

Director Dustin Marcellino said, “It's a story about miracles, calling, destiny and fighting for your God-given dreams.”

(Released by Freestyle Releasing and rated “PG” for thematic elements and smoking.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.