Film

Twins

Name: Twins
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1988
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1988 high-concept comedy pairing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as separated twins from a genetic experiment—one raised in idyllic isolation, one in urban squalor. It's broad, warm-hearted, and cheerfully absurd, built entirely on the premise that these two men shouldn't exist. Perfect if you want to watch movie stars have obvious fun together without pretending the plot matters.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy high-concept comedy where the premise is played straight and the joke comes from two very different bodies sharing one stubborn little story, the kind of gentle 80s buddy caper that never quite stops being sweet.

Skip it if you need your comedies sharp and fast, since this one is loose, sunny and happy to amble, with its laughs spread thinly across a fairly long running stretch.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just under two hours of easygoing, lightly absurd comedy; it takes its time, leans on warmth more than gags, and rewards you for letting the odd couple's mismatch simmer.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Kindergarten Cop1990

Another Schwarzenegger comedy that knows exactly what it is: a muscular action star in a ridiculous situation (teaching first grade) with genuine charm underneath the one-liners. Same era, same spirit of not taking itself seriously.

But The comedy is equally broad and dated, and if fish-out-of-water plots bore you, there's nowhere to hide.

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy in the same year, same comedic frequency: a fish-out-of-water premise, star power carrying it, and the sense that everyone involved is delighted by how silly it all is. Rich character finds himself in strange circumstances and befriends an unlikely companion.

But It's also very long and relies heavily on '80s comedy rhythms that can feel slow to modern eyes.

Trading Places1983

Two radically different men swap lives due to circumstances beyond their control—the blueprint for this exact comedic structure. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd have the chemistry you're looking for, and the script is sharper.

But It's a satire that sometimes works too hard to make its point, and the tone lurches between comedy and cynicism.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Twins

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask1972

Both films understand that a ridiculous premise is permission to do anything: Twins uses genetic engineering the way Allen uses the human body—as a springboard for pure comic freedom, not as something to interrogate seriously.

Woody Allen's segmented comedy built on premise-driven absurdity, where each section is a completely different genre operating under a silly conceit. Like Twins, it's structured around a dumb idea executed with absolute confidence and charm.

But Allen's comedy style is completely different from Schwarzenegger and DeVito's—wittier, more neurotic, less physical. And it's actually quite sexually explicit for 1972.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask poster

The Running Man1987

Schwarzenegger in a dystopian action film that's actually a lot of fun—it has the same irreverent energy and willingness to be ridiculous, just in a sci-fi costume instead of a comedy one.

But It's genuinely violent and takes itself more seriously, so it's a tonal shift rather than a natural follow-up.

Splash1984

Tom Hanks meets a mermaid and romance ensues in this warm, funny fish-out-of-water (literally) film. Same era, same blend of sincere emotion with absurd premise, and it actually cares about its characters.

But It's sweeter and more romantic than you might want, and the plot mechanics creak audibly by the third act.

Big1988

Tom Hanks again, also 1988, also about someone who doesn't belong in the world they suddenly inhabit. The emotion is genuine, the comedy is character-driven, and it holds up better than most films from this year.

But The pacing is leisurely, and if you need constant laughs rather than warm observation, it might feel slow.

Ghostbusters II1989

The same cast doing the same thing again, with visible affection for the material and each other. It understands that sometimes you just want to watch people you like be funny together.

But It's widely regarded as a lesser sequel, and deservedly so—it's coasting on goodwill rather than offering anything new.

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot1992

Sylvester Stallone paired with Estelle Getty in a premise so absurd it circles back to charming. It's bad in the way that makes you understand why people loved '80s and '90s action comedies.

But It is genuinely not good, and watching it requires accepting that you're seeing something that failed on most counts. Fair to skip this one.

The Odd Couple1968

Same DNA: two men with nothing in common discover they make each other better, chemistry carrying the film further than the premise deserves. But where Twins is about genetic accident, The Odd Couple is about two people choosing to stay.

Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as two fundamentally incompatible men forced to share a space, finding unexpected friendship through their differences. The chemistry is real, the character work is generous, and it's genuinely funny without trying too hard.

But It's a stage adaptation and it shows—lots of standing around talking, very little action, and the humor is dialogue-based rather than visual or physical.

Rubber2010

Both ask you to accept the impossible as fact and then watch what happens. Rubber is what happens if you take the genetic-experiment premise seriously and filter it through experimental art cinema. The opposite register, same structural DNA.

A French film about a sentient tire that kills people through psychic power. It's absurd in a completely different register from Twins—deadpan and surreal instead of boisterous—but it has the same commitment to a ridiculous premise as its own total justification.

But It's deliberately weird and unhelpful, with no narrative momentum, and it seems designed to alienate rather than entertain. Some viewers will find it profound; most will find it pretentious.