Twister (1990) Movie Review

Quirky comedy as only Vestron Pictures can create. Twister, no not that Twister , chronicles the misadventures of an eccentric family caught in their midwest mansion during a tornado outbreak. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the relationships among the kooky cast -- including Harry Dean Stanton and Crispin Glover -- except that they're all crazy and hate each other, pretty much. When the tornado hits, they're too busy fighting to pay much attention.

The film is largely a platform for odd soliloquies from its odd cast members, and even the strangest among them seem to have trouble spouting off their improbable lines. Suzy Amis is particularly awful in one of her first starring roles. You might amuse yourself instead by watching for appearances from Tim Robbins, William S. Burroughs, and a few other notables. Director Michael Almereyda is clearly working on a budget of pennies here, and though he makes the most of it, the movie can't help but look pretty cheap. Characters come and go willy-nilly, the camera doesn't seem to move much, and the film's lame synth-driven music feels more like 1980 instead of 1990.

Based on Mary Robison's first novel Oh!