Review of The Skeleton Twins (2014) by Robert H — 17 Feb 2015
First off I'll say that despite starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, this is NOT a comedy. There is subtle, understated humor peppered throughout but this is mostly a drama, and a rather serious one at that.
The story is about Maggie and Milo Dean (Wiig & Hader), a brother and sister who haven't spoken to each other for ten years, that is until Milo attempts suicide and goes to live with his sister for a while.
While the film is largely about them reconnecting, it also delves into some rather serious issues like anxiety over having children, marital fidelity and inappropriate relationships (and suicide). Of course, a film tackling all of these issues is not bad, but the execution is what partially lost me.
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig do an outstanding job at portraying a brother and sister who share a deep connection, but for all of the emotional pyrotechnics there seemed to be little at stake and little in the way of payoff.
Maybe it's because I wasn't able to relate to the characters onscreen, and I don't have a sister that I'm particularly close to, but this film wasn't able to draw me in and, as a result, I wasn't too invested in the story.
On a positive note, all of the performances were excellent. Hader and Wiig do a great job, but Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell also give great support. I also enjoyed the non-intrusive, ethereal score which at times reminded me of something Gregg Araki might have used for one of his films.
There was also one scene which elicited genuine laughter and tears: the sequence where Maggie and Milo lip-synch to Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." Of course that scene was in the trailer, but it was still effective and heartwarming despite having been partially spoiled.
Overall I wouldn't go so far as to call this a bad film, but it definitely wasn't something I really connected with. However, that's not to say that others won't enjoy it either. Just understand what you're getting into, and you might have an interesting time with it.
This review of The Skeleton Twins (2014) was written by Robert H on 17 Feb 2015.
The Skeleton Twins has generally received positive reviews.
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