Twister (1996)

Director:

Jan de Bont

Writers (WGA):

Michael Crichton (written by) &
Anne-Marie Martin (written by)

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Dark Side of Nature.

Plot:

A couple on the point of divorce keep meeting each other because both are researchers who chase tornadoes.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Tornado | Divorce Papers | Weatherman | Gasoline Truck

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Helen Hunt	...	Dr. Jo Harding
Bill Paxton	...	Bill Harding
Cary Elwes	...	Dr. Jonas Miller
Jami Gertz	...	Dr. Melissa Reeves
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Dustin Davis
Lois Smith	...	Meg Greene
Alan Ruck	...	Robert 'Rabbit' Nurick
Sean Whalen	...	Allan Sanders
Scott Thomson	...	Jason 'Preacher' Rowe
Todd Field	...	Tim 'Beltzer' Lewis
Joey Slotnick	...	Joey
Wendle Josepher	...	Haynes
Jeremy Davies	...	Laurence
Zach Grenier	...	Eddie
Gregory Sporleder	...	Willie

Also Known As:

Catch the Wind (USA) (original script title)
Wind Devils (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense depiction of very bad weather.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:PG | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Ames, Iowa, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

A recording of a camel's moan was slowed down and used as the sound of the tornado.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The last twister was an F-5, which can hurl strongly built frame houses from foundations, flatten brick homes and severely damage steel reinforced concrete buildings. Yet after it hit the farm where Jo and Bill sought shelter in the shed, about one third of the barn is still intact and standing and the house has no more damage than several tiles torn from the roof. Also, the farm was in the worst possible place; on the right hand side of the tornado's vortex, where the wind speeds and forward motion of the tornado combine to cause the most damage. In reality, if a real F-5 had hit the farm, only the cement foundation would remain of both the barn and the house.

Quotes:

Rabbit: In a severe lightning storm, you wanna grab your ankles and stick your butt in the air.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '90s" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Love Affair

Great fun!

The mid-90's was when Hollywood was hit by the disaster movie bug. Summer after summer came more explosions and associated disasters of some sort. Many of them were actually pretty good, in a rather brainless sort of way. But Jan de Bont's 1996 movie takes the cake. It's the ultimate in summer action adventure.

Granted, the plot is nothing more than an excuse to create some impressive visuals and loud noises (but then again, wasn't de Bont's previous feature "Speed" like that, too?). But it really doesn't matter anyway. Actually, for a movie like this, the story and subplots are pretty well-developed.

Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) is a tornado chaser who, with her team of ragtag scientists, is about to try and get their new science gizmo (appropriately named DOROTHY) up in a tornado to get scientific readings. Enter Bill (Bill Paxton) who has come to get the divorce papers from Jo, but he and his high-strung fiancée (Jami Gertz) decide to tag along to see DOROTHY fly.

"Twister" would be just another round of eye candy (albeit very good eye candy, even by today's standards) if it hadn't been for a cast of extremely likable characters. It's a challenge to make bickering people likable, but Hunt and Paxton do it. They bicker, but it's often funny. Paxton is a normal guy who just wants to move on, but he has a good heart. Hunt is not your typical lady scientist, and her deadpan delivery brings some big laughs. Jami Gertz is fine as the high-strung fiancée who has no idea what she has gotten herself into, and Cary Elwes is perfectly slimy as the rival with money but no brains. Lois Smith has some very memorable and heartfelt scenes as Jo's aunt.

Jan de Bont has a gift for developing a single sentence premise into a roller-coaster ride of a thriller. Just take a look at "Speed," his first venture in the director's chair. "Twister" is just as intense, and if I may say so, a lot more fun. The effects are outstanding, and the cinematography is both beautiful and scary. de Bont also stretches his talent for one liners and physical gags, some of which are laugh out loud hilarious.

I also have to mention Mark Mancina's score. It's delightfully upbeat with a sense of fun that perfectly compliments "Twister." It's enough to get anyone excited for a nearly 2 hour ride. It's a shame that the Oscars didn't recognize his work.

Not everything in "Twister" works. There are a few minor plot holes here and there, and many of the minor characters aren't developed (though they are put to good use in establishing rapport between the characters and the audience-the dialogue feels very real and again is often pretty funny). But these are minor quibbles, and I chose to give this film a 10 despite them because a, they don't dampen the film's entertainment value, and b, no one will notice (or care) unless they are looking at this movie from a critic's point of view.

"Twister" may not be great art, but it sure is great fun!