It would probably be easy to write off The Skeleton Twins as just some more indie tripe for the modern
hipster audience, with comedic actors taking unexpected dramatic turns and
tackling a dark script with a central theme of suicide. And at a surface level, that’s a valid
criticism, because that is precisely what the film actually is. However, that doesn’t change the fact that
this is a pretty damn good film, home to some really great performances by the
eponymous leads, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig.
Their chemistry elevates this film above its trite plotting and they
make a compelling character study for a couple of troubled thirty-somethings.
The opening scene of the film shows Milo (Bill Hader) about
to attempt suicide. We then cut to his
twin sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig) receiving a phone call from the hospital,
informing her of the attempt. She goes
to visit him in the hospital, and there is an apparent rift between them, which
we soon learn is because they haven’t spoken in about a decade. Maggie invites Milo to come stay with her and
her husband for a while until he gets back on his feet, and Milo agrees. As Milo begins to relive some dark parts of
his past, it becomes clear that Maggie doesn’t quite have the perfect life she
claims.
The way the film is written, there’s always a measure of
intrigue to how Milo and Maggie interact.
They clearly have a troubled history, but it isn’t until late in the
film that it’s revealed just what their issues are. On top of that, though, the twins start to
discover what’s going on in each other’s lives, things that they hide from
everyone else. If there’s one thing this
script does damn well, it makes you invested in finding out more about these
characters, and that is only strengthened by the lead performances. Hader’s Milo is constantly dodging serious
discussions with an acerbic and inappropriate sense of wit, and Wiig’s Maggie
is only barely holding together the façade of actual happiness. The only time the two characters seem truly
happy are in a few moments where the duo’s comedic tendencies shine through and
it’s clear that they really do love each other, something that is probably only
achieved through the real friendship Hader and Wiig share. The fact that they’ve translated that goofy
friendship into a couple of tragic characters is something truly worth seeing.
However, I wasn’t kidding when I said that the film could be
a bit trite at times. It constantly reminds us that Milo and Maggie are in fact twins through some
wholly unnecessary flashbacks to the pair as young children. It’s hokey and mostly unnecessary. Furthermore, the film is so intent on
establishing the twins’ relationship as the primary narrative focus that when
the credits roll at least one major plot thread (and potentially a few minor
ones) are left dangling in the wind, never to receive resolution.
Those minor faults aside, though, The Skeleton Twins is a great dramedy. It knows when to be funny, when to hit hard,
and how to do so in effective and intriguing ways. Sure, the screenplay has its faults, but
those are made up for with fantastic performances from two very gifted actors,
both of whom display more range than I would have expected from either of
them. Give this one a look, and prepare
to not be disappointed.
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