Melissa Reeves, (born 1965) is one of the recurring characters of the film Twister. She is portrayed by Jami Gertz.
Biography[]
In the film, at first, she is intrigued by the group chasing twisters and wants to tag along. However, as more events unfold in chasing tornadoes, she becomes frightened by the near death experiences her fiancé and his ex can handle. She eventually leaves Bill as she realizes they are still in love with each other.
She seems to be in love, engaged and concern with Bill meeting up with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Dusty says a few remarks that scare her and she jumps when Jo greets her. The moment is further awkward with Bill getting defensive about their engagement and new job.
She keenly suspects Jo is still in love with him, and is desperately doing this to keep him in her life; which proves correct. She is shocked to see the twister as it dissipates and Bill has a close call. Jo’s truck lands right in front of her truck terrifying her as she almost hit it. She is comforted by Bill with Jo vaguely asking if she’s ok.
She accompanies Bill and Jo on this chase. She takes a client call in the middle of a chase which raises concern to Jo subtly causing Bill to reply what she does as a therapist. Melissa is terrified and while Bill and Jo grow closer, she slowly starts to become emotionally disturbed at how Bill loves chasing tornadoes.
She meets Aunt Meg whom is subtly distant towards her out of bias of her niece, but welcomes her into the house with the group. While eating, the group recalls stories of Bill that intrigued and slightly put her off.
She is growing angry with Bill consistently making her ride with Dusty as his remarks are annoy her. She finally deems the group crazy and Jo the craziest of them all. After the twister dissipates, she then overhears on the radio that Bill is still in love with her. At the Drive-In Theatre, Melissa is heartbroken in the hotel room confused of her engagement to Bill.
Having learned a bit from the group, she hears the wind pick up and turns the TV off and finds Bill as she witnesses the twister arrive. She is terrified and heartbroken as takes cover with the others as the tornado hits.
After the damage is done. She breaks up with Bill in peace feeling she cannot compare to the bond he has with Jo. She claims that Jo needs him. She returns home, breaks the engagement and continues her work as a therapist.
Trivia[]
- She’s a reproductive therapist; further implying Bill had issues with Jo concerning intimacy and potentially child planning because of their clash of ambitions in their careers as chasers.
- While she cares and is genuinely concern for him, it’s questionable if she is actually in love with Bill.
- Jo is cordial and polite towards her, but her actions show a subtle dislike towards her.
Gallery[]