Qui veut de papa?

After the passing of Full House, a couple of not-so-great kiddie films and a second failed TV show on TGIF, it's good to see that the Olsen Twins can still make the good stuff happen on the screen.

Billboard Dad is the story of two girls who try desperately to hook their single father up with a gorgeous gal. What better way to achieve this by . .. advertising on a billboard? Cheesy? Maybe. Anyway, the course of true love never did run smooth, and so the romance that is to spark between the twins' dad, Max, and his new girlfriend, Brooke, is not free from obstacles. First, there is Brooke's son, Ryan, who at first the twins have trouble getting along with. Later on, the twins befriend Ryan and they team up to tackle the next obstacle - Nigel - Max's maniacal money-minded agent. Together, the three come up with an intelligent scheme and . . . well . . . I don't wanna give away the WHOLE thing!

Bottom line . . . this movie doesn't have a cheesy script - it's quite realistic. One can see that the Olsen twins are more than just two cute faces but actually have some talent too. It's a great family movie and I recommend it.

It's the Olsen twins to the rescue once again in their straight-to-video release, Billboard Dad. With Venice, California, serving as a Bohemian backdrop, the preteen queens of the dead-mom genre scheme to find their widowed father a girlfriend by turning a Hollywood billboard into a personal ad. Breezy predictability ensues: Dad gets thousands of letters and dates a series of progressively weirder women before bumping into Ms. Right. Since Dad's a successful sculptor, true love destroys the angst behind his profitable art. As his agent tries to drive a wedge between the lovebirds, the twins become unwitting accomplices. All of this just sets the stage, really, for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to do their thing--they are way cool, fashionable, and mature beyond their preteen years--with their equally hip friends, who have a drama of their own unfolding on the diving team. Nothing truly unexpected happens, but it doesn't matter. In other words, parents, don't watch this alone.

Tess and Emily Tyler (Olsen twins) live with their widowed father, Maxwell (Tom Amandes) in Venice, California. Maxwell is a sculptor who has thrown himself into his work after his wife's death. Naturally, the girls want to see their father in a happier state of mind. At a friend's suggestion, Tess and Emily repaint a neighborhood billboard with their father's vital information. Women respond! While dad is starting to date, the twins are also going to diving meets. Will Dad find true love, even as the Tyler girls are winning diving competitions?

This adorable movie is certain to win the hearts of females, young and old. Amandes does wonderfully in his search for a mate, even when it requires him to go on a string of bizarre and funny dates. Mary-Kate and Ashley are charming and they don't miss a beat of the humorous script. No, it's not Shakespeare. But even Will himself might call this a merry romp. Recommended for those who are tickled to find a romantic, upbeat, family-friendly movie.

Is it just me, or are all of Mary-Kate and Ashley's movie exactly the same? How many more times can I see them in a family where the mother is dead, and the dad is raising them while trying to find some happiness of his own. I'm tired of seeing them trying to switch places to get their dad to meet the girl of his dreams. The movie was so horrible that you could drive a truck through the plot holes. Like...if Ashley was so horrible at diving...what would make her all the sudden have a better dive than her sister who is like the "almighty champion" of diving? And how would a 12 year old little freak wannabe have a tattoo and an eyebrow ring? The only thing that's cute in this movie is Mary-Kate and Ashley's hair. Save you money and watch it on FOX Family.

Although this was one of their earlier films with a bizarre premise, it was still highly enjoyable and the start of their more mature work after their initial Trenchcoat Detective series. The Olsens were already way ahead of the fashion trends, mentioning Ugg Boots years before their recent boom in popularity. The romance was not overdone, but light and playful as it should be for their age group. This tasteful approach was also reflected in their clothing, especially bathing suit choice (they were always shown in one piece). The typical older guy crush was well played and spoke to every girl's first fantasy date. I mean, who didn't laugh when Ashley mistakenly said, "Thanks, Bod!" instead of Brad, the "hunk-o-saurus'" name! An interesting trivia point of this movie would be that in the later films, Mary-Kate plays the tomboy character, while Ashley is the girlier, but still capable, twin. However, in this film, Ashley comes out sporting a surfer-girl look, and while later fans were surprised by this inversion, obviously both twins are extremely versatile in their acting approaches.