A One Mann’s Movies review of “Twinless” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 4*, ’15’).
Many of the films I’ve seen this week at the LFF press previews seem to have wallowed in death. And “Twinless” is no different. Directed by, written by and co-starring the multi-talented James Sweeney, it’s a riotous comedy – albeit not in the ‘best possible taste’ – that manages to smash the ‘6-laughs’ test.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
We are in Portland, Oregon. Roman (Dylan O’Brien), grieving the loss of his twin brother Rocky (also O’Brien), joins a bereavement support group for “twinless twins” where he meets the gay Dennis (James Sweeney) and forms an unlikely friendship.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: R. (The film is rated R in the US, but the film has not yet been rated by the BBFC but I would expect it to be a 15 for language and strong heterosexual and homosexual sex.)
Talent:
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Arkira Chantaratananond, Kody Harvard, James Sweeney, Tasha Smith, Cree.
Directed by: James Sweeney.
Written by: James Sweeney.
Running Time: 1h 40m.
Summary:
Positives:
- Very funny comedy, but comedy with a sharp edge.
- At times, surprisingly moving.
- Aisling Franciosi has incredible vivacity in her role as the receptionist Marcie, lighting up the screen.
Negatives:
- Some of the sudden violence is a bit jarring in a ‘comedy’.
- Some may find the sex scenes a bit too strong for their palate.
Full Review of “Twinless”:
A sudden death.
As you may gather from the premise of the film, a twin dies. It’s in the very opening shot of the film. And it manages to be very funny. You know from that moment that you are in for a strangely novel film: an American ‘comedy’ that is actually funny!
There are a lot of American movies that have a good stab at being comedy classics, but very few that manage to succeed. To become a “classic” in my book, a comedy needs to come up with a reasonably novel twist to the genre. Rehashing “The Naked Gun” certainly doesn’t do it! I know comedy is a very personal thing, but if I think back on recent American comedies that I could happily sit and watch multiple times over, the list narrows to include very few: “Game Night” would be one; “Booksmart” another; after that, I start to struggle. I think “Twinless” might be a contender for that list.
Delivers comedy, but with some dark twists.
While the laughs readily flow, the film has a certain ‘edge’ to it.
Firstly, some of the comedy is very dark. At the ‘grieving twins’ support group, the organiser Charlotte (Tasha Smith) is a wannabe stand-up comedian, always trying out her act on the attendees. “People were always asking me, ‘which one of you is the oldest?’ Well, I am, now that she’s dead!” There’s also a very funny line that Dennis comes out with that “twin identity” is just a construct… like gender.
On a more physical note, Roman (the dead Rocky’s twin) has a serious anger management issue and his violent outbursts – beating the shit out of three dudes in a car park and then again with another character later in the film – I found to be really quite an “ooh” moment that didn’t sit very comfortably with the laughter.
So, the dark moments of this film strongly contrast with the comedy. Some elements of the plot, including the fact that Dennis is such a hopeless loser, are quite sad and moving. It’s not your typical comedy.
The cast.
Dylan O’Brien (who most recently played Dan Ackroyd in the recent “Saturday Night”) and James Sweeney (who was frankly new to me… this was only his second acting feature) both bounce off each other really well. You feel they are sometimes right on the edge and that somewhere there are countless outtakes of them helplessly corpsing!
But one of the standouts for me is Aisling Franciosi as the manic receptionist Marcie at Dennis’s company “FocusDarling”. Franciosi was impressive in the dramatic role of the threatened Ciara in “Speak No Evil” and REALLY wowed me in the first film I saw her in, the otherwise slightly disappointing 2023 Irish-set drama “God’s Creatures“. Here from the moment she appears on the screen, smiling radiantly up at Dennis, she literally lights up the screen like a 1500 watt lamp. It reminded me strongly of that radiant smile of Cameron Diaz in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. She really goes from strength to strength.
Strong sex.
A note for the prudish. There is some very strong sex in this one: some very graphic man-on-man sex as well as some slightly more coy (missionary!) man-on-woman sex featuring the lovely Ms. Franciosi. Kids, it might not be one to put on when Granny’s in the room with you! (Although you DO realise don’t you that Granny has probably done all this, and more!)
Summary Thoughts:
A funny, dark comedy that raised a lot of laughs in my press screening. Definitely recommended if you have a broad sense of humour.
Tickets for the London Film Festival showings on 9th and 10th October are currently sold out, but here is the booking web site to check for returns or other showings.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxseQQkGvb8.
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