Twisted Pair (film)

/Film gave a review of the trailer with "Breen shows up playing a pair of identical twins standing in front of what looks like a screensaver. Things just get better/weirder from there, and we're treated to one of the worst (best?) fake beards in history. Watching this trailer, you start to think that maybe this is a very elaborate joke, and Breen is just messing with us. But I assure you, Breen is serious, and that makes it even better."[9]

Twisted Pair has received negative reviews by several critics. Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader said "Twisted Pair doesn't make much sense, it drags in parts, and it sometimes resembles the ramblings of a tinfoil-hatted conspiracy theorist. But, somehow, Breen unexpectedly emerges with flecks of gold, little moments that have stubbornly attached themselves to my memory".[10] Gena Radcliffe of The Spool also gave a negative review by stating "The deeply strange Neil Breen returns with an even more deeply strange entry in his filmography of homespun, barely-coherent psychological thrillers."[11] She elaborated by stating "What little plot exists is incoherent... Breen himself doesn't understand what's happening in his own movie, or, at least, what kind of movie he wants it to be. He drops phrases like "artificial intelligence" and "programmable virtual reality," and they don't have any meaning or bearing on the plot. Though he describes Twisted Pair in publicity material as a "psychological thriller," it is most definitely not that. What it does have are some elements of science fiction, a murder mystery, espionage, romance, and even a touch of domestic drama, but none of it is cohesive, and none of it goes anywhere. They're all their own little mini-plots, like Short Cuts if it was made by an alien who only had a rudimentary grasp of English."[11] She mentions a positive element of the film with "There's a seed of something interesting planted here – the villain looks like a dollar store Elvis Costello, carries a bowl of diamonds around, and talks like his voice is being disguised on an episode of Dateline NBC. Unfortunately, time that could have been spent developing this character, or at least explaining who he is and what motivates him (and why his scarf keeps changing colors), is wasted on long scenes of Breen indifferently creeping around in an empty laboratory."[11]

Grady Bolding of Cultured Vultures gave a negative review by stating "It has its moments of hilarity which kill any boredom that might ensue, but otherwise, it's a raging fire that cannot be put out."[12] Bolding describes the positive elements of the film with "The only strength with Neil Breen's film is quite similar to what the great Tommy Wiseau did with The Room. While The Room can be seen as an unintentional takedown of the superficiality of Hollywood drama films, Breen's film(s) provide an antithesis to the overly-hyped mercenary-for-hire/vigilante agent films seen today in American theaters. American culture has always championed the idea of a lone warrior setting out to right the wrongs of society, if not the world. Twisted Pair efficiently reflects this part of American culture, but provides unintentional satire. The All-American hero is a noticeably aged Neil Breen who either makes his enemies think about their actions or makes them pay for it. He is not a stocky, barrel-chested figure like Matt Damon or Chuck Norris. He's so aged and withered that it makes him 100% average."[12] Bolding summarizes Breen's work by stating that "any audience can – and will – laugh at Neil Breen's mediocrity, but they will easily be able to project themselves into what he's trying to accomplish. Breen fails across the board, but he gives us something worth laughing at and enjoying. In this respect, Breen accomplishes his mission when it comes to the most basic tenant [sic] of producing a film: providing entertainment."[12]

Diego Olguín of The Charlatan also gave a negative review by stating "The surreal editing makes the film almost incomprehensible; the soundtrack is pretty much stock trailer music; the special effects look straight out of some mid 1990s straight-to-VHS movie; and the script is full of nonsensical dialogue, amplified by the cast's wooden deliveries. However, no film must reach perfection in order to be enjoyable, and this is a clear example of this."[4] Olguín continues by discussing some of the positives of the film, "While Twisted Pair fails in every level in being an action film with social commentary, it does succeed as an unintentional comedy. While the CGI looks cheap and fake, that only adds to the fun during scenes where explosions awkwardly fill a classroom. Breen's acting capabilities rival Tommy Wiseau's in how weird and inhuman they are. Watching him trying his best to emote sadness as he tries to persuade his brother (which is Breen with a cheap beard and a hoodie) to turn himself in to the cops is something to be witnessed—preferably with a few friends and some drinks. There is also a sense of honest effort on the film, crappiness aside. You can feel that Breen tried his best to deliver a legitimately good movie, like a modern-day Ed Wood—famous only for people roasting his past films, but still not giving up."[4]