Arnold Schwarzenegger in shorts and converse is laugh-worthy on its own. From that first reveal I was in for the ride, and while some of it isn’t so great, there’s a lot of heart and laughs to be mined from this classic 1988 comedy.

Julius (Schwarzenegger) is a product of a genetic experiment, and has long been raised on a tropical island. He’s book smart, but incredibly naive, and during the opening credits he learns that he has a twin brother out there somewhere.

Convinced he has to find his brother, Julius heads to America, specifically Los Angeles, following his feelings. Very soon he bumps into his fraternal twin, the conniving, devious car-thief, Vincent (Danny DeVito).

Vincent seems to be having problems with some money he owes, and Julius gets tumbled up in things. Throw in a pair of sisters, Linda (Chloe Webb) and Marnie (a stunning Kelly Preston) as romantic interests for our mismatched pair, a hired hitman, Webster (Marshall Bell) and a smiling Arnold, and you’ve got a funny tale.

Vincent comes into possession of a car that has something in it that could take care of his financial worries. He convinces Julius to come with him on a road trip, one that may lead them to their mother (Bonnie Bartlett), and a better connection as family.

It’s cute, charming, and this was the first time people had seen Schwarzenegger play comedy – and he’s good at it. He’s not afraid to look silly, and it works wonderfully. The size disparity between he and DeVito makes for a great visual, and watching the pair share physical traits makes for some comedic moments.

The story is loose at best, a hobbled together narrative built around a road trip of discovery for the two brothers. And it mostly works. Reitman is a solid director, and knows how to make comedy work.

There is some really fun moments here, and they all rest on Schwarzenegger who looks like he’s having the time of his life leaning into his comedic abilities. He’s really funny.

Pairing him with DeVito is great, Preston is lovely, Bell is always a joy, and crap there’s David Caruso! And Heather Graham!

This opened a number of whole new possibilities for Arnold, one he would visit a few times, and even mix with his action star performances as well. This is a corny one-liner, this is Arnold actively working on crafting a comedy performance guided by Reitman.

And while the whole thing is fantastic, it’s middling at best, Schwarzenegger shines.