the skeleton twins

Movies I've Seen in 2014 - The Skeleton Twins

Starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig

Supporting: Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell 

Directed by: Craig Johnson

Plot: After going 10 years without talking to each other, the Dean twins reconnect when Milo (Bill Hader), a gay, struggling actor living in LA, attempts suicide. While the initial first meeting was a little shaky, Maggie (Kristen Wiig), Milo's twin still living in their hometown, dealing with her own demons, invites Milo to stay at her place for a while. Slowly, both twins come face to face with their inner struggles, the past, and what went wrong in their relationship. 

REVIEW

It is rare to find a dark comedy that truly finds the correct balance between heavy themes and deep material, as well as lighthearted jokes and actual, well, comedy. The Skeleton Twins is the first "dark comedy" I've seen in a while that manages to find the balance. Is it perfect, no, some scenes can often come across as cheesy or predictable, but as a whole, it's a relatable story that really tugs at the heart strings all while making your stomach ache with laughter at the same time. 

To delve into that topic a little bit deeper, I'll begin with discussing the serious part of Skeleton Twins. A main theme throughout the movie is suicide, and understanding the reason behind it. After all both main characters contemplate it at the beginning of the movie, as well as face demons and depression throughout. Little messages and life lessons are laced throughout this major topic, such as, displayed in a beautiful speech spoken by Hader's character, Milo, the feeling of "peaking in high school" and not achieving your dreams that you dreamed so much about, and just, to put it frankly, being nothing. As a person with unreasonably high hopes for myself, this speech resonated and hit home to me, something that Skeleton Twins tends to do quite often inbetween subtle one-liners. Usually such dark topics are put in dramas; after all, who wants to joke about suicide? Well, The Skeleton Twins does, and to be honest, without Hader and Wiig as the lead, the witty banter might not have been as successful. The key behind the movie is the subtle lines and jokes that the twins make while still dealing with the mess that they call their lives. A perfect example is Milo's suicide note, a scene way early on in the film. All it says is simply "To whom it may concern: See you later :)" I nearly choked on my drink reading that onscreen. It's that exact funny, dark humour that continues throughout the movie. 

A big kudos to Craig Johnson to putting so much emphasis and care into his characters. Another huge part of Skeleton Twins that made it so fantastic was the fact that each and every character wasn't just another voice in the background. Sure, Hader and Wiig lead the pack, but that doesn't mean that the background characters are left voiceless and one-dimensional. It's true, while some of the writing is absolutely, unbelievably fantastic (the lip-sync scene between Hader and Wiig is still playing in my mind), there are some scenes that teeter on the typical, and might not have worked quite as well had it not been played by such amazing actors and had the characters not been so lovable. That's his one true downfall, to be frank: the characters are great, but sometimes the plotline is not. He adds layer upon layer to the two main actors, some of them unneeded or unnecessary (SPOILER: Wiig's character claims to have cheated with 3 men. Yes, I know this happens, but seriously, lowering it down to 1 wouldn't have made a difference. At all.) Although, I'll end on a positive note. Johnson succeeds in bringing stereotypes down (even if he can't do the same with plots), as Luke Wilson's typical husband role is more someone you can imagine seeing down the street than a Hollywood suburban white knight. The same goes to Ty Burrell, who gives a subtle yet strong performance. 

This would not be a review without a (not-so) brief opinion on the powerhouse performances of the two leads. Both Hader and Wiig prove to audiences that they are far more than just SNL alums, and have talents that go far beyond that of comedy. Their improv roots do help as their deadpan scenes are hilarious and, like mentioned, a specific lip-sync scene will become an instant classic. Seriously, I dare you to watch that scene and not laugh, smile, or have it remind you of your own crazy antics when you lip-sync. Anyways, both actors succeed in bringing depth to two very challenging roles: characters that are broken, but can only mend each other. Twins that deal through pain with sarcastic remarks, but have sorrow behind their eyes whilst delivering said remarks. Their chemistry as a team is amazing. You truly feel the brother-sister relationship, even as the moods differ. It's no shocker they can have a witty banter, or just all-out funny scenes with each other (they did share the SNL stage for years), but it's also refreshing to see that they can have deep, emotional scenes, where they show their inner selves and pour their hearts out to each other. Wiig is fantastic, making what would be a not-so-likable character into someone you can sympathize with. Her performance is perfectly understated, and it's nice to see Wiig approach humour and drama without so much glitz and glamour. Hader is the real standout here. In his first huge dramatic role, he is a revelation. While many of us know Hader for his Stefon character, Milo is nothing close to that. Hader shapes Milo into a real human, and not into, as his character puts it "another tragic gay cliche." His deadpan delivery is spot on, delivering each and every one-liner (such as gems, like "I can't wait to be the creepy gay uncle") perfectly and without too much theatrics. Yes, he does have his huge moments to shine (Hader in drag is great), but the real surprise is when Hader shares his soul onscreen. You see pain behind his eyes even when he's alright, and when he admits his vulnerability onscreen, he is at his rawest moment. This is truly a great first role to a fantastic career in movies for Hader.

All in all, The Skeleton Twins is a fantastic contradiction. It has unrelatable plots with relatable (and lovable) characters. The darkest of themes is joined by the lightest jokes. It's a rare and great gem, that is definitely worth seeing. Admittedly, it's not for those who cannot stand such a simple plot. The magic is not in the climax, but in the relationships and chemistry between Hader and Wiig. It's in the snappy comebacks, and tense silences. It connects with people, and allows audiences to realize that, yes, we all go through sadness, and that maybe we're all just trying to figure out how to deal with it.  It's an indie that, while it may not be nominated during award season, it's one that will resonate in your heart. (P.S. if all that doesn't convince you, Boyd Holbrook is amazing eye candy.)