Though it may not be the highest art form, the disaster movie genre is still a heck of a lot of fun, and no movie did it better than the 1996 film Twister. Starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton, Twister was a keystone for every natural disaster movie that followed in its destructive path. Thirty years later, it still holds up tremendously — but I do have a bit of beef with Paxton’s character, Bill Harding.
In Twister, meteorologist Jo (Helen Hunt) and her estranged husband Bill, along with a team of avid storm chasers, are on the hunt for tornadoes as the storms ravage the Oklahoma countryside. It’s a wild ride with plenty of heart-pounding action, not to mention the impressive state-of-the-art special effects at the time. While Twister includes a slew of quirky supporting characters, there is one person who ultimately deserves justice for her terrible mistreatment.
Bill Treated His Fiancée Like Crap
She Was Nothing But Classy & Supportive
Watching Twister as a kid versus re-watching it as an adult, I came to a realization about Bill Paxton’s character. While it never occurred to me at the time, it suddenly became clear that Bill Harding was a downright jerk for how he treated bride-to-be, Dr. Melissa Reeves, played by Jamie Gertz.
At the beginning of the movie, Paxton’s character travels to Oklahoma with his fiancée, Melissa, a reproduction therapist. Bill wants to get his ex Jo to sign divorce papers, which she seems very reluctant to do. However, it doesn’t take much convincing for Bill to get distracted by Jo’s mission. She informs Bill that the weather tracking system they created together, Dorothy, is now accurately able to track tornadoes and can predict where storms will hit. Suddenly, all thoughts of Melissa are left by the wayside as Bill gets caught up in the excitement of scientific experimentation and storm-chasing.
The list of crimes Bill commits against Melissa is a mile long. First, he has her ride with Dusty during the chase, a man she barely knows who is clearly a loose cannon. Then he alienates her, making her feel like an unwelcome tagalong rather than the woman he hopes to marry. He doesn’t fight that hard to come to Melissa’s defense, either, when Jo and the other members of her team make fun of her. Finally, he charges headlong into danger without any thought for Melissa’s safety, or for the trauma that the poor woman suffers.
She treats Jo with respect, despite the fact that she’s Bill’s ex who treats Melissa like the “other woman.”
The irony is that with all that Melissa has to put up with in Twister, she still comes out of it like a champ. Not once does she berate Bill or get angry with him, and instead makes an effort to get to know more about that part of his life. She treats Jo with respect, despite the fact that she’s Bill’s ex who treats Melissa like the “other woman.” Melissa makes an attempt to get to know Bill’s storm-chasing friends, rather than ignore them or insult them. And, when she’s finally had enough, she breaks things off with Bill amicably.
Bill Had Never Moved On From Jo
It Makes No Sense Why The Twister Couple Split Up At All
From the start, it was pretty obvious that Bill had never gotten over Jo. True, he went to Oklahoma to get a divorce, but he doesn’t seem to push the issue or try all that hard to get Jo to sign the papers. His whole motivation at the beginning of the movie is that he wants to move on and start over by marrying Melissa and becoming a TV meteorologist in a new state.
However, the minute he learns that Jo is using Dorothy to track the tornado, it hardly takes any effort for him to become invested in the pursuit. I have to wonder why Bill even brought Melissa with him in the first place, except maybe to keep an eye on him.
As he falls back into the old routine, Bill’s unresolved feelings for Jo are so obvious that even Melissa can see them. It definitely makes sense — Jo and Bill do have great chemistry, and they are both incredibly pᴀssionate about their shared interests. As Bill spends time with Jo and the old gang, it becomes more and more evident that he hasn’t really changed at all, making us all wonder why the couple even decided to split up.
The mind boggles as to what Bill even saw in Melissa, since she seems to be Jo’s complete opposite. Frankly, it looks like he was only with Melissa to try and to get over Jo, and getting romantically involved with her was unfair to everyone involved.
Glen Powell’s Tyler Was A Way Better Hero For The Twister Franchise
Tyler’s Cocky Persona Hides His Selfless Motivations
I’ll just say it: Bill Harding may have been a worse villain than any tornado in 1996’s Twister. Thankfully, the 2024 standalone sequel to Twister, Twisters, helped to make up for that with Glen Powell’s character, Tyler Owens. As an online influencer and “Tornado Cowboy,” Tyler initially comes across as arrogant and obnoxious. The other protagonist, Kate, has every reason to hate him, and not just because he’s compeтιтion. But as she gets to know him, Kate starts to see that much of Tyler’s internet persona is just an act.
Twisters features a cameo from Bill Paxton’s son, James, as an angry motel guest.
In reality, Tyler is actually a very thoughtful and generous person, who is doing the influencer gig to raise funds for tornado victims rather than for fame or money. Powell’s innate charm certainly helps to make his character likable, but it’s the movie’s writers who really deserve credit for getting the male lead right this time around.
In Twister, Bill is motivated by his obsession with scientific progress, and by his unresolved feelings for Jo. Tyler, on the other hand, is motivated by a need to help others. He also doesn’t let his growing feelings for Kate affect his judgment, something that Bill definitely does with Jo in the first movie. Now, don’t get me wrong — I still love Twister. In many ways, Bill Harding is a great character, and I was happy to see him and Jo finally get back together at the end. But when it comes to his treatment of Melissa, I will never forgive, or forget.
Twister
- Created by
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Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin
- First Film
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Twister
- Latest Film
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Twisters
- Cast
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Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Sean Whalen, Jeremy Davies, Lois Smith, Anthony Rapp, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney
Summary
The Twister franchise centers on the chaotic and thrilling pursuit of tornadoes by storm chasers. The original 1996 film, praised for its groundbreaking special effects and intense action sequences, focused on scientists working to improve tornado warning systems by intercepting violent storms. Twisters (2024) expands the narrative with a new generation of storm chasers, bringing modern perspectives and advanced visual effects to the weather disaster genre.
