If you grew up in the late 80s, you probably remember the poster: the world’s biggest action star and a famously short character actor in matching beige suits. It was a visual gag that sold millions of tickets. But watching it today with a teen who is used to the fast-paced, meta-humor of modern comedies is a different experience. The pacing is slow, and the central joke—that they are twins—is repeated every five minutes as if the audience might have forgotten since the last scene.
The Schwarzenegger Pivot
This movie marks the exact moment Arnold decided to stop being a killing machine and start being a brand. He plays Julius with a wide-eyed innocence that is occasionally charming but mostly just odd when you realize this guy was the Terminator only a few years prior. If you’re trying to figure out which of his movies are actually worth a family night and which ones are just 80s artifacts, check out our Arnold Schwarzenegger Family Guide. It helps navigate his shift from R-rated action into this kind of "gentle giant" territory.
The DeVito Problem
Then there’s Danny DeVito. To a kid today, he’s likely the voice of the Lorax or the guy from those memes. In Twins, he’s Vincent, a low-life scammer who spends a lot of time being gross. It’s a specific era of his career that sits awkwardly between his sitcom roots and his later chaotic energy. Our guide to navigating the Danny DeVito "Short King" multiverse helps contextualize how he went from this kind of sleazy 80s lead to the icon he is now. Vincent’s treatment of women and his constant "hustle" haven't aged well, and your teen will probably find his character more annoying than lovable.
Why the Scores are Low
The 42% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes isn't just critics being snobby. It reflects a movie that doesn't really have a second act. Once you get over the sight of the two leads standing next to each other, you’re left with a fairly standard, slightly boring road trip movie. The 1988 version of "science" and "genetics" is purely a plot device to explain the height difference, and the movie doesn't do much with the nature versus nurture theme beyond some surface-level sentimentality.
If your kid liked the fish-out-of-water energy of something like Elf, they might see the potential here. But Twins lacks the wit to carry that energy for a full runtime. It relies on the 1980s assumption that Arnold being nice is inherently hilarious. Today, it just feels like a missed opportunity. Unless you have a deep, unshakable nostalgia for the Reagan era, there isn't much here to keep a modern family engaged.
