Director: Craig Johnson
Starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Luke Wilson
Plot: Estranged twins reconnect after a suicide attempt.
Review:
The Skeleton Twins is not the most original or inspired indie dramedy. In fact, it sort of reads like a checklist of that genre’s tropes. Maggie (played by Kristen Wiig) is self-sabotaging her own marriage cheating on her husband and secretly taking birth control while her husband thinks they are trying to have a baby. She is staring at a pile of pills in her hand ready to take her own life when she is interrupted by a phone call that her gay, failed-actor brother , Milo (played by Bill Hader), who is still pining for his high school English teacher, has already tried to kill himself. Maggie asks Milo to move in with her and thus begins their little journey walking a fine line between enabling and helping.
Luckily, it doesn’t really matter how unoriginal the story is. It really is just a series of consequences to put Saturday Night Live alums Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in a room together. Their chemistry is undeniably strong. One could even think that they really were twins. In one scene, a scene that represents the movie in a nutshell, Wiig is angry at Hader for some irresponsible behavior, but Hader breaks the tension by turning up the music and starting in impromptu lip syncing session. Wiig tries to deny him his fun, but she eventually wears down and joins in. That is like every sibling relationship that has ever existed ping-ponging between hatred and camaraderie at the drop of a hat.
Every scene that they share is a delight. They are either trying to crack each other up, which I think everyone knows they can do, or they are giving some truly riveting performances. Hader portrays gay Milo a bit on the nose, as a bit of a caricature, but like Jordan Gavaris in “Orphan Black,” he never rests on those laurels. He creates a very tragicomic character, constantly on the verge of depression but never without a one-liner to relieve the tension. Wiig on the other hand is a rock. She’s crumbling on the inside, but most people would never notice. It is only because the camera shows us her when she doesn’t have a brave face that we are able to tell. If you have ever read my reviews before than you might know how much I appreciate restraint from actors. Wiig has a ton of it, constantly holding back her anger and tears. It makes it all the more natural and by extension tragic.
The Skeleton Twins is a not-miss comedy this year. It’s jokes are on the ball, and it never forgets to develop the characters rather than freezing them at their funniest. More cynical people might be turned off by its done-to-death plot, but the actor showcase (which also includes Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell) more than makes up for it.
Rating: 8/10
