ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

TheBlueHairedLawyer I adore almost everything about this film, from its beautiful synthesized soundtrack by Bernard Rose (who created the score for Paperhouse and Candyman), to the warm summer breezes and wide open farmlands of rural Kansas (I thought upon my first viewing that it was Ohio but I stand corrected). It can be somewhat pretentious at times and Crispin Glover's eccentric antics get old very fast, but overall it's a wonderful film and I think its low ratings come from people who simply didn't get it. In all fairness, it's understandable. It was based on a large novel by Mary Robison which explains in detail some of the more confusing parts of the film, such as Maureen's repeated hallucination of Chris flying away in a helicopter and the comparison of the missing mother to Amelia Earhart (it's loosely implied that Maureen and Howdy's mother IS Amelia Earhart and that her mysterious disappearance was merely a story orchestrated to cover up her commitment to a mental hospital. Twister's characters are largely unlikable except for Violet, Lola and Chris. The Clevelands are a family of affluent, ne'er-do-well kidults, a rich but deadbeat soda pop tycoon and his preachy, condescending new girlfriend, among others. They quickly grew on me though, especially as the underlying tragedy of the family began to unravel. It's also implied that Maureen and Howdy, both already neurotic overgrown layabouts, may have inherited the same mental disorders as their mother. Maureen may have some sort of borderline personality disorder and Howdy acts bipolar.There's some truly stunning and unforgettable cinematography as well, especially the intro scene featuring Violet dragging a vacuum clear around in a deserted field while Rose's very 80's score is played in the background, not to mention the carnage of the twister itself ("aw no, there's the Edgar Burger Man! I hope he's alright...") and plenty of witty jokes, one-liners and slapstick type humor throughout. The acting was remarkable; Suzy Amis, Lindsay Christman, Charlayne Woodard and Dylan McDermott are perfect in their roles, and the character Lola's veiled sarcasm and logic throughout was especially endearing, as well as Violet's innocent though strange behaviors, from roller skating in the heavy wind to being very fond of a Magic Grow foam alligator that moves from scene to scene, mostly in the Cleveland Mansion swimming pool. There's plenty more that could be brought up, but I don't want to ramble. I'd really recommend giving this film a chance contrary to its reputation, and if you're a fan of crazy, witty and bittersweet stories, you'll fall in love with it forever.

goawayfast A root canal without anesthesia is more amusing. This movie is disturbing and pointless. There is absolutely nothing believable about any of these characters or the plot line. What in God's name were these people thinking when they agreed to star in this movie? The acting in this movie is so incredibly bad - even from actors who are usually pretty damn good. "The In-Laws" is a funny movie. "The Birdcage" is a hilarious movie. "The Big Lebowski" is a humorous movie. This movie is just dumb. I cannot even begin to fathom the kind of sick mind it takes to write the "novel" that this movie is based on. I honestly cannot think of even one nice thing to say about this movie. It just doesn't make any sense. People please - I beg of you - do not see this movie. You will regret it for the rest of your life. This movie is not the worst ever made, but it is definitely right up there on the top of the list.

youaresquishy This film is on my top 20 comedies list. This is a truly unique film. To the reviewer who said "I must be really missing something."--you are correct. You are missing something. If you don't have the kind of sense of humor this film requires, that's one thing. But don't give it a bad review because you think it's "looney" but isn't intended to be. Loony is an apt description of both what it intends to be and what it succeeds in being. I laughed much more often and much more intensely at this film than I do at most other funny films.Michael Almereyda brought out the best in his cast in this, his first big film, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit award for Best First Feature. Crispin Glover, as usual, is absolutely brilliant in some perfectly inexplicable way, and some of his very funniest lines ever were said in this film. Glover is clearly the best comic actor working right now. Harry Dean Stanton puts in an excellent comic performance. William Burroughs is incredible in a small role. Dylan McDermott was ideally cast, and Lois Chiles is completely excellent.All of the above are perfectly funny in their own perfect way, but this is one of Crispin's finest performances--up there with his performances in River's Edge and Willard. If you are a Crispin Glover fan, but have somehow overlooked this film, you need to stop whatever it is you're doing and see this immediately.But just remember to relax first, and maybe have a beer or something. This is a great film, but it is very unusual, and I recommend being in or inducing an appropriately silly state of mind before viewing.

Musicop I used to work at the company that originally put out this film, Vestron Pictures. Vestron had the same problem that a lot of small independent film companies had, they didn't have a lot of money to put into the production values of their films. Not that money alone will buy you a good film. Look at Kevin Costner's Waterworld, for instance.Sometimes, if you have a talented person in-house doing the acquisitions or development, you can create your own new talent. But at Vestron, there wasn't such a person and they always skimped in some crucial area. In this case, it was on the director and the writer. Which makes it pretty hard to have a decent movie, even with the great ensemble cast this film has.I think the basic premise of this movie was "Let's put a bunch of quirky characters in a room and see if anything interesting happens." It's an intriguing idea, but not worth your time watching.Most Vestron films ended up having a very distinctive look and feel to them. My wife and I developed the ability to spot this quality even in non-Vestron films. Many times, we were even able to spot that quality from watching only the trailer or TV ad. We'd sit there, watching the trailer or ad, and afterwards, we'd turn to each, and almost in sync, we'd say, "Now that's a Vestron movie!" This is a Vestron movie.