The Skeleton Twins (2014)

Written and Directed by Craig Johnson
Also written by Mark Heyman 
Starring:
Bill Hader (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs)
Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
Owen Wilson (Idiocracy)
Boyd Holbrook (...The Host)
Ty Burrell (The Incredible Hulk)

A showcase of imperfect people behaving imperfectly. A story conveying how family can be the cause of all the turmoil in your life yet lift you up when you need it most. Showing that humor and happiness comes from finding your best self and knowing who brings it out. While the revelations can get a bit fatiguing, the pacing allows you to make the best of it.

Thanks in large part to the well spotlit chemistry of Wiig and Hader, The Skeleton Twins is loaded with moments of heartfelt fart-laced, novocaine driven comedy that help you cope with the darkness that lies in all of us, even if there seems to be a bit of excess darkness here. All these complex feelings inspired by this little film shows just how much talent that SNL cast had all at once. The lip-syncing scene is truly the highlight of the movie.

This honest and simple story makes you care about these people who are obviously flawed and dealing with the pressures of two very different lives. One, a wife on the verge of collapse and the her brother, a suicidal failing actor. They've not spoken in ten years which sets up this cathartic intertwining of their crumbling lives.

It's is a good film, not perfect (I couldn't help but roll my eyes during the entire mom scene) but it is, as the unlikely stars have classified it on many occasions, quite a serious one that manages to accomplish much. And the pair do indeed perform admirable. Possibly more than they even understood. although, knowing how talented the duo is, they probably are fully aware of just how incredible they were. It was a chance to show the rest of the world (because, of course, I already could tell) that they are more than simply Stefon and Gilly. They were able to display all these gutting exchanges and heartfelt scenes and hold their own when the story brought the world down upon them.

Craig Johnson's story also allows the two leads to demonstrate their comedic prowess, albeit in a controlled manner, their characters are shown to be good for each other. The moments when Skeleton Twins is soaring are when Hader and Wiig are feeding into each other, when the siblings are made to interact, for better or worse.

Johnson's endearing tale of two estranged siblings expertly covers many vital life lessons we could all learn to use. Showing up when you are most needed. Who needs you? Affairs deserve consequences. The idea that we don't always tell ourselves the truth. That we make the choice that feels good vs. the one we know is right. All heavy concepts and all explored with dignity and care.

The finale is one of the most therapeutic conclusions a film could have. That we can't see our own broken behavior while we are doing it. Sometimes we need someone to stop us.

Bottom Line: Somewhat depressing but in the end, we all need more Hader and Wiig in our lives.

9 out of 10.