Twinless Review: Dylan O'Brien Is Excellent In A Dark Comedy That Goes To Unexpected Places

"Twinless" could've gone in two possible directions. There's a real chance that James Sweeney's film could've become a kind of light-hearted farcical comedy of errors where one mistake leads to another and the problems keep piling up. Or perhaps it could've been something more dark and twisted, akin to this year's weirdo Tim Robinson flick "Friendship." Instead, Sweeney, who wrote, directed, and co-stars in the film, attempts to walk a tightrope in between and have it both ways. It's not always successful, and there are times where the film doesn't seem to realize one of its characters is as, uh, let's say, troubled as he clearly is. And yet, "Twinless" is also a funny, melancholy character study boasting a great performance from Dylan O'Brien, delivering what's probably the best work of his career so far.

O'Brien is Roman, who is suddenly dealing with the death of his identical twin, Rocky (O'Brien also gets to play Rocky in a brief, sexually-charged flashback, and the way he makes Rocky feel like a completely different person only solidifies how good he is here). The funeral for Rocky that opens the film is as awkward as you might imagine, with Rocky's friends commenting that just looking at Roman, who shares his dead brother's face, is surreal. 

Roman is a rough-around-the-edges kind of guy; you wouldn't call him dumb, exactly, but you wouldn't call him sharp, either. Adrift in his grief and not the best at communicating his feelings, Roman begins attending a support group for other people who have also lost a twin to death. It's here Roman meets Dennis (Sweeney), and the two men form a surprising friendship. Dennis is gay, like Rocky was, and Roman sees a kind of connection there. But there's more to the friendship than that, and soon Roman is calling Dennis up to go food shopping just so he doesn't have to go alone.

Now I must tread carefully. There's a twist – and a twisted one, at that — in "Twinless" that should not be ruined before you see it. All I'll say is that it changes the course and tone of the film considerably and shows that Sweeney isn't interested in making a generic indie rom-com, he has something much darker, and much more unsettling in mind. Unfortunately, while Sweeney's script is sharp and clever, his performance as Dennis is missing something.

Or perhaps it just seems that way because O'Brien is so commanding. Since Roman isn't exactly the most verbose of characters, the actor uses a lot of body language here to convey what's going on in Roman's mind, and the performance ends up being downright revelatory. Dylan O'Brien, I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game.

Also good is Aisling Franciosi as Marcie, one of Dennis' co-workers who falls for Roman, much to Dennis' annoyance. When we first meet Marcie, she seems clueless and ditzy, like the type of manic pixie dream girl in countless indie comedies. But then we realize that's because we're viewing her through Dennis' eyes, and the more time we spend with her, the more realistic she becomes.

Sweeney gives "Twinless" a touch of style — this isn't your typical point-and-shoot comedy, but a film that plays around with shifting perspectives and angles to better convey the uncomfortable headspace everyone finds themselves in. "Twinless" has a cold, icy feel, which is appropriate since the film borders on thriller territory, at least when it comes to Dennis' character. At the same time, I can't quite tell if Sweeney has nailed down Dennis as a character. Is he playing things deliberately coy? Is the film taking great things to not spell its message out? Maybe, but something feels slightly off.

It also doesn't help that after its great initial set-up, "Twinless" starts to spin its wheels a bit. At a certain point there are just not many places the story can go, and sure enough, they unfold along a pretty predictable path. A repetitiveness sets in and scenes start to feel as if they're looping themselves.

Despite these issues, "Twinless" garners laughs as it goes off in increasingly absurd directions. And whenever the film was on the verge of losing me, O'Brien's steady, remarkable performance brought me back. He really is that good here, and honestly, that might just be enough.

/Film Rating: 6 out of 10

"Twinless" opens in theaters on September 5, 2025.