I’ve missed Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. They were gems on the SNL cast who always seemed more versatile than sketch comedy, and the newest movie together is proof that they are so much more talented. They lead the film as a pair of depressed dysfunctional twins and deliver heart wrenching, believable, and yet very funny performances. Accompanied by the very smart script of Craig Johnson, THE SKELETON TWINS presents rich characters and a story about siblings’ love while providing laughs along the way.
The movie begins with Milo (Bill Hader), whose attempted suicide revives a decade lost relationship with his twin sister, Maggie (Kristen Wiig), who is barely holding it all together herself. Despite being close as children, after the death of their father when the twins were 14 years old, the two have led dysfunctional lives: Milo relying on alcohol and an unhealthy past relationship with Rich (Ty Burrell) to make up for being an unsuccessful actor, and Maggie secretly sabotaging her marriage with ever-loving and annoyingly upbeat Lance (Luke Wilson). Reunited, the two find solace in sharing secrets with each other and rekindling their familiar bond and laughs from their childhood. Forced to confront their wounds, eventually Milo and Maggie help each other move forward to find hope again.
Bill Hader plays the gay, sassy, humorous Milo so well that any other actor would have been typecast after this performance. Hader incorporates every aspect of the character: the early childhood gay scarring, the alcohol abuse, the need for love, and the fantastic sense of humor into every scene. Kristen Wiig’s performance is equally amazing, though more nuanced. Maggie tries to keep her problems inside, and Wiig still plays the internal struggle and Maggie’s often breaks in her ability to hold herself together.
Although the two are fantastic individually, they shine brightest when together. The chemistry between them is like that of any brother-sister duo. The story essentially revolves around the way they make each other laugh during each other’s times of depression and it’s clear that their previous relationship from SNL makes everything more comfortable. Their characters work and comedic abilities translate well into the brother-sister moments. These moments also come from Craig Johnson’s personal relationship with his sister, unsurprisingly given how authentic they feel.
The brilliant script and directing also propels the movie. It would be much easier to review this if I were to discuss the specific secrets and problems of the characters, but the reason I’ve left them out is not because they are supposed to be surprises or are critical points in the movie – it is solely because the script does such a good job of steadily revealing everything without any character yelling out exposition.
Its ability to smoothly have the audience figure out their secrets shouldn’t be spoiled. The best example of this is Bill Hader’s unhealthy relationship with Ty Burrell; the exact reason it’s so unhealthy is known to all the characters but very naturally and expertly revealed through choice words. Eventually Wiig does scream it out near the end of the movie, but this moment is almost angering because the movie did such a fantastic job of subtly letting the audience in on the characters’ lives.
How authentic the experience comes across is the main reason it excels. The humor between Wiig and Hader, the dialogue and pacing, the depression they face that reflects what many of us face as well: all very real. THE SKELETON TWINS is a film that deserves everyone’s attention and has put itself on the list of fantastic dramedies.
