The Twits grabs you right away. It pokes you in the eyes with its wanna be Claymation. Then it hits you over the head with its not-so-subtle stupidity. Then it tries to wrap you up in a hug with a message about empathy. Yeaaaaa… I’m not buying it.
The Twits are a couple drawn together by their immature love of hate. They’re mean to each other. They’re mean to everyone around them. And their meanness is infectious, somehow, to most other characters in the film. Even the good guys get pulled in. At one point, a character says, “There’s enough cruelty and hate without you running around.” It’s true. There is. And it becomes clear that the people behind the movie don’t see how unfun it all is.
The lack of self-awareness becomes clearer when a similar question is posited. After the Twits nearly destroy the town with no repercussions, a character sees the bus they stole outside the Twits’ home and asks, “How have the police not figured this out?”
The filmmakers are trying to say they’re in on the joke. But the joke isn’t funny at this point. It’s all gross-out humor — slop, burps, gelatinous goop — but not in a fun kind of way.
At some point, the film appears to become a message about the rise of Trumpism (I think that’s what they’re going for) as the Twits run for office. The town rallies behind the couple, despite their cruelty and lack of vision. The main characters finally break through to the townsfolk, who learn a lesson about empathy. Then the credits roll.
This is my favorite part. Not just because it’s the ending. A song starts to play that catches my ear. I looked it up. The song is a collaboration between David Byrne of The Talking Heads and Hayley Williams of Paramore. It plays in the background while we see what happens to the Twits and all of the other characters post-movie.
Long story short: You don’t need to see The Twits. There’s a lot of good stuff out there. If you do see it, get some bourbon. Skip the rocks.
🎬🎬🎬
Where to Watch
Rating: PG (Me: 6+)
Director: Phil Johnston
Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Margo Martindale, Johnny Vegas
Run time: 1h 38m
Post-credits scenes: Mixed-media montage with a great David Byrne & Hayley Williams song, plus a mid-credits gag scene.
Bathroom breaks: Anytime
Sequel? Unlikely.
If you liked The Twits, check out these films:
- The Willoughbys (2020) (5+)
- James and the Giant Peach (1996) (6+)
- The Boxtrolls (2014) (5+)
- Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) (6+)
