The Skeleton Twins

It's both refreshing, and a rarity to see a comedy that delves into confronting issues for the purpose of enriching the plot, rather than just as an excuse to employ black humour. The Skeleton Twins, the second feature from Craig Johnson, does so with a surprising amount of finesse.

Estranged twins Milo (Bill Hader) and Maggie (Kristen Wiig) are reunited for the first time in ten years when Milo attempts suicide. Maggie, who has also been having suicidal thoughts, suggests that Milo come back with her to New York so that they can catch up. Milo finally meets Maggie's husband, Lance (Luke Wilson) and attempts to rekindle a previous controversial relationship that he had with his high school English teacher (Ty Burrell).

Over the following days, Milo and Maggie open up to one another in a way that only siblings could, conversing about the various problems in their lives, Maggie with her doubts about her marital life, and Milo with his depression and failed acting career. With the can of worms opened, the two find themselves reaching out to restore the relationship that they once had.

Working from a script written by Johnson and Mark Heyman, The Skeleton Twins challenges the superficial structures that make up the majority of contemporary Hollywood comedies by offering a relatable and unwavering glimpse into the toils of these siblings' lives. From time to time, it fails to avoid cheesy scenarios, and rather tiring flatulence jokes, but mostly, this film dodges cliches. However, somewhere in the middle, it began to divide into more and more 'acts' that tried with my patience. It's a shame, as all these anti-climactic moments detract from what the film has to offer. 

Seeing two prominent Saturday Night Live actors performing so well in dramatic leads is quite a joy to behold. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig both offer up some truly touching performances, drawing on their previous work together to interact as a realistic pair of siblings. Ty Burrell proves his dramatic proficiency as Rich and is certainly one of the film's valuable assets, whilst Luke Wilson brings both hilarity and innocent timidity to his role. A worthy assembly for such a character driven film.

This film is certainly bold in its subject matter and isn't afraid to place importance on drama over comedy when needed. Think the latter half of the M*A*S*H tv series. However I did feel that certain stages in the script could have done with some tightening up. Despite those issues, the poignant depiction of these dysfunctional siblings from Wiig and Hader, transforms this into a movie with plenty of substance.