Now in theaters, “The Skeleton Twins” offers a compellingly dark yet humorous narrative — proving “Saturday Night Live” alumni Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are more than capable of making the leap from comedic to dramatic acting. The duo's chemistry adds depth to an otherwise morbid film.
The film opens on an ominous note as Milo (Hader) attempts suicide. He survives — unaware that the hospital’s call to his twin sister Maggie (Wiig) keeps her from attempting suicide herself. They find their lives are tremendously different since they last spoke 10 years prior; Milo tried and failed to make it as an actor in Los Angeles, while Maggie got married and is trying to have a baby. Both are now dissatisfied with how their lives have turned out, and through the course of the film, they realize the cure for their disappointments and problems is each other.
The film mainly serves as a showcase for Wiig and Hader, who both rise to the occasion. Hader gives Milo an off-the-wall energy not unlike some of his previous comedic work — though this performance is grounded in a genuine melancholy which keeps it from veering off into parody. Milo can be very funny while provoking genuine sympathy. In a speech about looking up a bully from his high school years and reflecting on the idea of “peaking in high school,” Milo truly stands out — providing great insight into the unhappiness which looms behind his occasionally lively personality.
Wiig’s understated and more subtle performance matches her character Maggie’s reality: She looks ideal on the surface, but hides the fact she may be even more damaged than Milo. Given that Wiig made her name with bold characters and performances, the nuance of her performance in “The Skeleton Twins” is quite impressive.
Other notable performances include Luke Wilson as Maggie’s cheery husband, and Ty Burrell’s low-key performance as one of Milo’s former teachers.
In a film where death hangs over everything — emboldened by the camera work, which puts a permanent haze in every scene to underscore the film's timing near Halloween — the liveliest and funniest moments occur when Hader and Wiig share the screen.
Though they feel as though their lives are falling apart separately, their interactions have a childlike playfulness. Wiig and Hader’s on-screen chemistry clearly conveys their characters’ long history together — it offers comedic relief which elevates the movie and helps to strengthen the film's more contentious moments.
It is the realness of Hader's and Wiig’s performances which make these tonal shifts work, despite the movie's reliance on a roller-coaster of emotional highs and lows.
“The Skeleton Twins” will likely serve as a turning point for these comedians, proving that they are more than capable of adapting hilarious personas to darker roles in drama.
Read More
‘Witness’ exemplifies a disastrous summer for female musicians
By Caroline Hockenbury | July 30, 2017Why does it seem that many of music’s leading ladies cannot adapt to today’s electronic craze?
‘Mura Masa’ blends together in a good way
By Henry Hollandsworth | July 20, 2017Mura Masa’s new self-titled album succeeds on every count. It is one of the most accessible pop albums of recent memory.
New singles ‘Who Dat Boy’, ‘911’ from Tyler the Creator harken back to his past
By Benjamin Mossholder | July 11, 2017Almost two years after his last release “Cherry Bomb,” Tyler, the Creator released two new singles.
