Review of The Skeleton Twins (2014) by Jason T — 06 Aug 2015

Last year I saw allot of great films, but there were some I missed. One of the films I missed ended up being of the best films of 2014. "Skeleton Twins" is directed by Craig Johnson and stars Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader.

Milo (Hader) is suffering from depression, and one morning he writes a note and attempts to commit suicide. A next door neighbor thankfully checks in with Milo, and he is rushed to the hospital. For ten years, Milo and his sister Maggie (Wiig) have stayed away from each other. As Maggie stands in the bathroom ready to down a handful of pills, she gets a call from the hospital were Milo is admitted. Maggie immediately flies out to Los Angeles and the two reunite. Maggie suggests Milo comes back with her to her hometown in New York. He reluctantly agrees. Milo and Maggie eventually reconnect, building back their relationship.

First of all, the performances in this film are incredible. If I had to pick one-and this is a hard choice-I'd say Bill Hader gave the best performance here. He was incredibly funny, and he gave a very emotion performance. We can't ignore Kristen Wiig however. While she may not be the highlight of the film, she's very good in her role. Ultimately, the film is about two twins that are trying to reconnect. They've not spoken in ten years, and their relationship prior seemed to be great. As children, Milo and Maggie played together-as siblings do-and seeing them together again, dancing to music and having fun, was really heartwarming. They both share similar experiences with depression and pain, and because they are twins, they both are very similar. It was wonderful watching them bond and helping each other find themselves. In the end, that's what life is about. It's about discovering who you are, and finding your place in the universe. It's also about love, family, and friends.

Craig Johnson does a brilliant job in the director's chair. This is his second film directing, and he's also written other films. The script for this film was also written by Johnson, and he did a splendid job. The characters, dialogue, and drama all work perfectly. The cinematography in the film is shot beautifully by Reed Morano. She does a great job, especially with the color pallet in the shots. She uses lots of blues and muted colors to get the feel they're going for.

"Skeleton Twins" is an impressive drama about two twins bonding after years of being apart. The performances are top notch, the direction is solid, and the script is superb. The film I must admit, does drag just a hair. It's also a bit repetitive. For about twenty minutes, the film can't seem to get going, but once it does, it's pretty damn good. It's an incredibly moving film with important themes about life, family, depression, and self love. I think anyone can get something out of this, even if you can't directly relate to the characters. Twins especially will love this film.