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 | Adventure | 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:

Natural Disaster | Weather Girl | Storm Chaser | Divorce | Loss Of Father

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:

Jan de Bont is a fan of singer Tori Amos, and decided early on he wanted to include some of her music in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the farm machinery is being thrown about and lands in front of Bill, and Jo shouts "We have debris!" the last piece of machinery has an arm that breaks the windshield in front of Jo. In all of the scenes after, the windshield is intact.

Quotes:

Jo: Debris! We got debris!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Love Affair

Dramatic tedium broken up now and again by gale-force winds...

Stormchasers Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt track tornadoes in Midwestern America, hoping to get their instrument-pack full of sensors into the funnel of the tornado to measure the wind velocity. Simple-minded thriller written by Michael Crichton (who hopefully cashed a large paycheck) and Anne-Marie Martin gives us bickering romantics in the front-seat, flying cows, and barns being reduced to splinters. This was some viewers' idea of a good time, but with such dullards at the heart of the story, one begins to yawn with an hour left on the clock. The special effects are astounding, but the clichés and director Jan de Bont's herky-jerky pacing make it a bumpy ride. ** from ****