"Twister" (1996): What Works/What Doesn't

Brace yourself. There's some storm chasin' coming, pretty decent special effects, and a whole lot of fantastic actors in their prime having way too much fun.

Jul 20, 2024

Synopsis: Hot Scientists with Heart & Plenty of Pheromones Take on The Soulless Sellouts

“He’s gotta lot of high-tech gadgets but he’s got no instinct.” - Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) on his arch nemesis, Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes)
“It’s the wonder of nature, baby!” - Dustin Davis (Philip Seymour Hoffmann)

It’s been ~30 years since actors Helen Hunt (as Dr. Jo Harding) and Bill Paxton (as Bill Harding, her estranged spouse) storm-chased their way through the Oklahoma plains in a fancy red pick-up truck with their twister-tracking machine in tow, a wondrous creation called Dorothy, fittingly named after the Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

Toto comes out to play too via Jo’s origin story

The film’s most memorable scene sees Bill, Jo, and Bill’s fiancee, Melissa, played by a nearly non-existent nowadays, ‘80s fan favorite, Jami Gertz (The Lost Boys) hypnotically watch, entirely transfixed, as a cow flies overhead caught in the Twister vortex. Once the storm passes, Melissa, a therapist, is traumatized. Bill and Jo look ready to fornicate. It’s a spectacularly awkward moment.

This is the stuff of adrenaline junkies, action ‘90s film fun (think Speed, The Bourne Identity, or Run Lola Run) where high stakes and the thrill of the chase take the place of rational thought and a dimly lit standard definition of life.

The mantra: Go BIG or go home, even if your home is now a distant memory because a twister came and ate it.

The iconic cow jumping over the ~~moon~~ river

Time Out: A Sneaky Comparison Between 2024’s Civil War & Twister

Having recently watched the controversial 2024 Civil War film (Dir: Alex Garland) which some consider a cinematic dystopian masterpiece of a thinly-veiled cautionary tale of a third-term Trump-led America, and others mostly consider overdone with the graphic violence and story-wise exhausting (hi, that’s me), I was struck by some of the similarities between these films.

Both Feature:

External Forces that threaten the existence of the martyring protagonists
Thrill seekers running toward some dangerous, unpredictable elements
- Chasing after some undoubtedly dire circumstances in the name of humanity
People who take their career (photojournalists or storm-chasers) to a whole new level of sacrifice
- In Twister we are given a back story as to the “why.” As a child, Jo saw an F5-level twister (devastating) take her parents and her dog, who looks an awful lot like Toto, in yet another The Wizard of Oz connection. In Civil War, we are given nothing to go on, rendering us far less invested in the lives of the photojournalists.

Jesse Plemons is a rare beacon of light as far as his performance goes in “Civil War” - an otherwise forgettable film

Of the two, Twister (1996) is the much more enjoyable film. Whereas Civil War is dreary and takes itself way too seriously, Twister doesn’t get crushed by the weight of its posturing service to many masters like the latter film. Twister has its identity intact. It’s not of the ilk of an auteur like Kubrick though the film’s inclusion of The Shining playing at the drive-in during a particularly tense scene is masterful mirroring. Jack Nicholson running around with his ax on screen as the Twister people dash for their lives trying to evade the natural horror was a masterclass in building evocative moments of terror on screen. Director de Bont is not afraid to go there. Whereas Twister isn’t putting on airs and is confident enough to wink at its audience in reverence to classics like The Wizard of Oz and The Shining, Civil War craves its recognition as an original work. They are very different genres and I’ll give you that, but I do think some of the thrill-seeking personalities and blow-up effects share common elements.

Twister is not dystopian but it demonstrates the devastating and uncomfortable-to-look-at effects of nature’s brutality, not unlike Civil War. Of note, Twister’s BTS talent is a veritable Hollywood who’s who of talent (per Looper):

The film was a smash hit during its theatrical run, but you may have forgotten just how impressive its pedigree really is. Its executive producers included future Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and some guy named Steven Spielberg. Its screenplay was co-written by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park and a ton of other excellent novels. At the helm, meanwhile, was director Jan de Bont, who was fresh off of the box office success of Speed.

Characters (That Work) - Keeping it to 3

Helen Hunt as Dr. Jo Harding. Recently I saw Hunt in season 3 of Hacks and was reminded of how incredible an actress she is. Hunt was everywhere in the ‘90s and known for her no-nonsense, fresh-faced smart woman-next-door appeal. As Dr. Jo Harding, she is committed to finding a twister “cure” aka a notifications system that will allow for a 15-minute warning of an upcoming twister that will far outpace the 5 minutes of warning people have, usually. She is myopically focused on this given its resonance. If only her parents had access to such a warning back in 1969! They might still be alive.
She has the upper hand with her ex, Bill Harding, a retired storm-chaser and budding weatherman, engaged to Melissa. Bill seeks out his ex, Jo to retrieve signed divorce papers, a process which Jo is stalling, and ends up rekindling their love affair. Who wouldn’t? Apart from her commitment-phobic tendencies and general fear of intimacy (classic flawed female lead material for this decade), she and Bill are cut from the same cloth. Helen Hunt is outstanding in this role. If anyone can whip into shape a bunch of stereotypical male scientists with poor hygiene habits and clueless stares, it’s her. Period.

Cary Elwes as Dr. Jonas Miller. Ten years earlier, Elwes was donning tights in The Princess Bride as the dashing and heroic Wesley, with a pit stop in The Crush where he plays a hapless middle-aged male victim of a teenage temptress opposite, ~~Drew Barrymore~~ Alicia Silverstone, pre-Vegan era. Attesting to his range as an actor, here he plays an unlikeable corporate shill, who competes with the Hardings to be 1st in the ~~space race~~ twister notifications race, but meets an untimely fate, after refusing to let his ego take the back seat. It’s a fitting end for a guy that’s easy to hate. But since it’s Elwes, you can’t get mad at him and he’s just having fun with his dastardly Chad-ness. He’s so good as a villain.

The Late Great Phil Seymour Hoffman as lovable sweet guy Dustin “Dusty” Davis. Dusty is the emotional regulator of this film and a member of Jo’s storm-chasing crew of ragtag scientists. He can take an awkward moment and crush it by making an absolute mockery of things or outing the elephant in the room. As an example, in trying to help Melissa feel more comfortable, especially given how Bill ignores or patronizes her, he can come off like a clown, but it’s coming from a loud and unfiltered place that’s trying to do right by her, even though it makes her more unhinged. He’s so unfettered in his performance here that twenty years earlier, give or take, I could picture him as an extra in Animal House or Caddyshack playing off Bill Murray, Belushi, or Dangerfield.
Yes, that’s Alan Ruck, Cameron from “Ferris Bueller” and Connor Roy in “Succession” in this film alongside Hoffman, and an honorable mention on this list.
Subplots (That Didn’t)
The Disposable Significant Other Device - If this film has one major flaw it’s the decision to introduce a female romantic interloper in the Jo-Bill dynamic. It’s distracting and unnecessary. On behalf of Jami Gertz fans everywhere, it’s a tragedy to watch her sad saga unfold. The saddest scene by far was the Bill and Jo couple’s origin story which everyone thought fit to share at Jo’s aunt’s table over a lunch of huge, fatty steaks and mashed potatoes with gravy. The cringe factor was amped up to a deafening level as the camera pans over Melissa’s dejected face. Kudos to Gertz for making the most of a two-dimensional / damsel-in-twister-distress character and making it memorable. She deserves our praise. The writers, not so much. They did her dirty.

Gertz wondering why she took the role, but also fabulously wearing a fashionable outfit that Josie Bissett from “Melrose Place” could get away with in the same decade.

Let’s Discuss
What characters have earned a top spot that I missed in the list above?
Pros and Cons of the new Twisters vs the OG Twister. Name them.
Is Twisters this year’s Barbieheimer? Or is it more accurate to say it’s more like Despicable-sters?
If you had to give a Razzie to any one particular performance in Twister, whose would it be?
Did you have a crush on Helen Hunt in the ‘90s or Bill Paxton?
How many times do you mix up Bill Paxton with Bill Pullman? For me, it’s at least once a day even though they look nothing alike. What other stars are like this for you?
Thoughts on Civil War? Was I being too harsh with my criticism of this film?

From The Community Of Twisting - Twister Universe Reviews

I’d be remiss if I didn’t list some of the wonderful Twisters reviews on Substack. I haven’t yet seen the film so I’m looking at it all of them like this: