THE REWATCHABLES · July 9, 2024
A 1996 action / adventure movie directed by Jan de Bont—and decision no. 15 in the Hanks–Cruise tape.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The opening death of Joe's father is treated as the setup for her trauma, though the hosts mock the father's bad decision-making.
About 8 minThe movie rapidly introduces the storm-chasing team and establishes their distinct personalities in a few minutes.
About 8 minThe first big chase is praised for its momentum, spectacle, and classic 'where's my truck?' reveal.
About 8 minThe meal at Aunt Meg's is one of the episode's favorite scenes for food, character, and storm chatter.
About 8 minThe drive-in sequence, with The Shining on screen and the tornado behind it, is singled out as a top set piece.
About 8 minBill's emotional confession to Joe is undercut in a funny way by the walkie-talkie being on.
About 8 minThe climax is praised as cool and intense, though the hosts question whether the characters could survive it.
About 8 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsThe movie is fundamentally erotic and about tornadoes forcing passion and attachment.
Van LathanIt is about passion and disturbance, with tornadoes pushing the characters together.
Chris RyanIt is closer to Jurassic Park-style wonder and intelligence than pure action.
Bill SimmonsHe is a leading man but maybe also a tweener or highly effective supporting guy.
Chris RyanHe is a floor-raising system quarterback type whose stardom is limited by the spectacle around him.
Van LathanHe is attractive and accessible but not a modern sex-symbol lead.
Bill SimmonsMore scenes or less scenes, but not the small amount we get.
Chris RyanHe helps demonstrate the crew's expertise and is useful as a foil.
Bill SimmonsTornado is scariest because of unpredictability and violence.
Chris RyanEarthquake is scariest because the ground moving feels awful and inescapable.
Van LathanTsunami is the least understood and therefore most frightening.
Chris RyanCruise would make it more ridiculous and action-forward.
Bill SimmonsHanks is the right choice; Cruise is too good-looking for this exact movie.
Sees it as a movie he initially underestimated and later came to appreciate more deeply.
Opening minutesCalls it his number one and praises the cast's normal, attainable look compared with modern star vehicles.
Opening minutesArgues 1996 is when Hollywood locked in the modern summer blockbuster schedule.
Opening minutesLikes it as a hangout movie that can stay on for days without losing momentum.
About 8 minArgues Paxton is a floor-raising leading man who never became a top-tier star because the movie's spectacle overshadowed him.
About 8 minTreats the drive-in sequence as one of the movie's most iconic set pieces and a major rewatchable moment.
About 8 minLoves the food scene and treats the meal as a core pleasure of the movie's worldbuilding.
About 8 minThinks Jonas is undercooked as a villain and needed stronger stakes or more scenes.
About 8 minThinks the movie stages great practical mayhem that still holds up on a modern screen.
About 8 minEnjoys the movie precisely as a white-escape fantasy and says it does not need more Black characters.
About 8 minThinks Hunt has strong presence and charisma but was never perfectly matched to a later star vehicle.
About 8 minThe hosts frame Twister as emblematic of the mid-90s shift to summer blockbuster scheduling and event movies.
Opening minutesThey value that the film centers normal-looking scientists and workers rather than superheroes.
Opening minutesThey argue the tornadoes function as a force that drives Joe and Bill back together and gives the movie erotic charge.
Opening minutesVan argues the movie is a very white fantasy of Oklahoma storm chasing and says it does not need more Black characters.
About 8 minThey admire the messy, difficult production as part of the film's charm and craftsmanship.
About 8 minTwister was made on a $90 million budget and grossed about $495 million.
About 8 minThe film was nominated for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.
About 8 minMichael Crichton did an early script pass and Joss Whedon also worked on the screenplay.
About 8 minHelen Hunt reportedly got blinded by the giant lamps and may have been concussed on set.
About 8 minThe crew had to wear helmets and was hit by real ice and debris during effects work.
About 8 minThe real town of Wakita was used and some houses were demolished for production.
About 16 minThey say meteorology programs increased after the movie's release.
About 16 minA tornado destroyed a drive-in in Ontario on the day Twister was scheduled to play there.
About 16 minBill Paxton witnessed one of JFK's last speeches as a child in Fort Worth.
About 16 minUsed as a comparison for spectacle, wonder, and blockbuster structure.
Opening minutesReferenced as Jan de Bont's earlier action hit and as a shorthand for his style.
About 8 minUsed to discuss Bill Paxton as the third guy in the cockpit and a supporting player in major movies.
About 8 minThe drive-in is showing it when the tornado hits, which the hosts love.
About 8 minUsed to argue Paxton was not the right kind of movie star for a Clooney-like role.
About 8 minReferenced in a discussion of the recurring 'guy in it for the money' villain type.
About 8 minReferenced as part of the 1996 summer release calendar and box office discussion.
Opening minutesUsed in the argument about whether Twister is the apex 90s disaster movie.
About 16 minUsed as a benchmark in the disaster-movie category discussion.
About 16 minMentioned as one of the key 1996 summer releases.
Opening minutesRoger Ebert's two-and-a-half-star review is quoted for the line about wanting loud, dumb entertainment.
About 8 minUsed to explain how Jan de Bont's over-schedule impacted television production.
About 8 minReferenced as a Bill Paxton project that was interesting but never fully landed.
About 8 minMentioned as a later appearance by Helen Hunt.
About 8 minReferenced during a digression on 'white excellence' films.
About 8 min · medium confidenceThe hosts repeatedly joke that the film is really about storm-chasing as sexual foreplay.
Opening minutesVan jokes that Twister is a white-escape story and that adding Black characters would be unnecessary.
About 8 minPhilip Seymour Hoffman's character is repeatedly praised for energy, wardrobe, and weirdness.
About 8 minThe hosts imagine living in Wakita and spending nights at the drive-in or around the local hangouts.
About 8 minThey spin Jonas into a sellout villain and use mafia-style betrayal jokes to describe the tension.
About 8 minPaxton is compared to football quarterbacks as a useful but not transcendent star.
About 8 min“It's a great movie.”Opening minutes
“These people need help fucking.”Opening minutes
“Food! Food! We need sustenance.”About 8 min
“The suck zone.”About 8 min
“I hate to tell you this”About 8 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Twister, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties
Chris Ryan77 tracked appearances · 36 H / 38 C / 3 ties
Van Lathan36 tracked appearances · 11 H / 23 C / 2 tiesCATEGORY CONTEXT
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