Summary

• Twister took inspiration from a classic screwball comedy, bringing a unique romcom twist to the disaster genre.
• The relationship between Bill and Jo in Twister mirrors the bickering, but endearing dynamic of Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday.
• By infusing elements of a romantic comedy, Twister became more engaging and relatable than a standard disaster film.

Twister may be an action-packed disaster movie about storm chasers coming face-to-face with destructive tornadoes, but the film took its primary inspiration from a surprising source: a classic 1940 romantic comedy. The original screenplay for Twister was written by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton and his then-wife Anne-Marie Martin. Crichton had wanted to write a movie about the thrilling world of storm chasers since seeing a documentary about storm-chasing on PBS, but for a long time, he didn’t have a story to go with it.

The release of Lee Isaac Chung’s standalone sequel, Twisters, has reinvigorated interest in the original 1996 movie. It’s prompted fans of the film to rewatch it and led new audiences to discover it for the first time. Jan de Bont, the filmmaker who would eventually bring Crichton and Martin’s script to life on the big screen, said in an interview with Vulture that the inspiration for the story came from an unusual place. Rather than looking to other disaster films for inspiration, Crichton turned to an iconic screwball comedy.

Michael Crichton & Anne-Marie Martin’s Twister Script Was Inspired By His Girl Friday

It’s a divorce comedy disguised as a disaster movie

Speaking to Vulture, de Bont confirmed that Crichton and Martin based their Twister script on Howard Hawks’ 1940 screwball comedy His Girl Friday. When Crichton was searching for the right personal, emotional story to pair with the dazzling spectacle of storm-chasing, he landed on His Girl Friday’s bickering enemies-to-lovers couple. Cary Grant stars as a newspaper editor alongside Rosalind Russell as his ex-wife and best reporter. In a bid to win her back before she marries another man, the editor suggests that they cover one last story together.

This formed the basis for Bill and Jo Harding’s relationship in Twister. Instead of covering one last news story together, they chase one last storm together. Much like Grant and Russell, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton spend the whole movie bickering with each other. The quippy arguments between the characters complement the spectacle of the tornadoes in a fun way. De Bont summed up the parallels perfectly: “A couple tries to get back together, and they like to argue a lot, and there’s some humor in it.”

Twister is more than just a standard disaster movie

Taking influence from His Girl Friday made Twister a better movie. It meant that it wasn’t just a standard disaster film with nothing more to offer than spectacle; it was a screwball romcom disguised as a disaster film. This made it a lot easier to connect with the characters than the average disaster movie. Audiences can identify with Bill and Jo’s relationship and become endeared to their romantic chemistry. It’s much more engaging than watching generic, one-note characters just trying to survive.

Source: Vulture