Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
Twinless - Movie Review
It's a buddy movie. It's a love story. It's about family. It's about trust. And it literally starts with a bang. With Twinless, James Sweeney has written, Directed and co-stars in the film that has one of the best set-ups of the year. Though its premise is definitely tragic, the death of a twin and the resulting trauma of the survivors, Sweeney infuses an abundance of warmth and humor in all his characters, even the ones who are slighly askew.
Sweeney plays Dennis, a friendly yet introverted gay man who works in some sort of 'design firm'. He meets Roman (Dylan O'Brien) at a group session for people who have recently lost their identical twin. Roman lost his own brother, Rocky, in a motor vehicle crash, and is devastated by the loss. Though they had been living separate lives, Rocky was his best friend in the world. In their first conversation at group, Dennis tells Roman that, yes, he is gay. Roman makes it clear to Dennis that, though his late brother was gay, and he had no issue with it, he is straight. The two, though a bit awkward, still hit it off, finding companionship in doing the things they used to do with their twin. Food shopping seems to be top of list, in addition to late night phonecalls; eventually the two become inseparable, but not insufferable.
Roman, a bit of a lunkhead, is king of the malapropisms. For example, he admits to Dennis that he's "not the brightest bulb in the toolshed". Dennis looks at him quizzically. Rocky asks Dennis for help in correcting his verbal mistakes so he doesn't sound like an idiot, but to always do it kindly, and Dennis agrees, further cementing the friendship.
The film is stuffed with this type of amusing banter, but not to the point of groaning. Sweeney suffuses the script with just the right amount of pixie dust. It's soon obvious that Dennis has fallen hard and fast for Roman. Roman, for his part, keeps trying to fix up Dennis with other gay men. Roman becomes involved in a new relationship, much to the chagrin of Dennis. Sweeny's character development here is reminiscent of Shakespearean comedies, such as Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Not in the verbage, but definitely in the intent. So who is hiding what.... and why? And how will it all play out?
There's a wonderful scene where Roman tells Dennis how Rocky came out to him. Initially Roman was angry and felt lost. Who was he, if not the same as his twin? However, Roman tearfully tells Dennis that he realized that they could still talk about their relationships to each other, and who each had sex with didn't matter; it didn't make them less of a twin to the other. They still liked the same things in life, just had different dating interests. Rocky was still Roman's best friend, no matter who he dated.
Twinless is stuffed with so much charm. Lauren Graham puts in a guest appearance as Lisa, Rocky/Roman's distraught mom. There are many takeaways here, especially that one, poignant scene. It would be wonderful if people are able to use Twinless to heal some familial fractures. At the film's core, it's a clear message about forgiveness and family.
