‘The Twits’ Review: A-Not-So-Awful Movie About Two Very Awful People
Adapting beloved source material is always challenging, but director, producer, and writer Phil Johnston, supported by a stellar cast, succeeds in bringing Roald Dahl’s story to the screen.
Podcast Discussion: Cinebuds Take on ‘The Twits’
Every week, Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori discuss movies as part of their Cinebuds series. In this episode, they explore a unique world—the opposite of their usual universe—featuring two deeply unpleasant characters who hate everything, including each other, and are married.
“The duo at the center of Roald Dahl’s novel-turned-Netflix-movie The Twits are truly the Bizarro version of Dori and Kpolly, who are notoriously nice and do not hate indiscriminately and are definitely NOT married.”
Dori and Kpolly, while protagonists in their own right, hold differing yet respectful opinions about the movie adaptation of The Twits. Surprisingly, their reaction focuses less on fidelity to the source material and more on how the film stands on its own.
Challenges of Adapting Beloved Books
Adapting a cherished book is often seen as a no-win situation—either the film meets fans' high expectations or it falls short and incurs criticism. According to Kpolly, the film skillfully avoids failure and even exceeds expectations.
“From where Kpolly sat as he watched, The Twits managed to avoid the latter and actually surpassed the former. Phil Johnston gets a hefty amount of credit for that as the film’s director, producer and co-writer.”
Summary
Phil Johnston's adaptation of The Twits offers a fresh yet faithful cinematic experience, skillfully navigating the difficulties of bringing a beloved book to life.
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