For the last forty years “Saturday Night Live” has provided us with a lot of laughs and entertainment. Like all great things “SNL” has served as the root for a tree that has branched out and given us many pieces of fruit, both good and bad. With stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, and Chevy Chase it is a marvel to look at the amount of talent has come from just one show. Then there is the other side, for every Adam Sandler, there is a ton of people who didn’t’ make it. Bill Hader and Kristen Wig who do have supporting roles under their belt want to make the good list, and with their latest collaboration they are well on their way.
Milo (Bill Hader) is in what you call a bad place in life. His relationship with his boyfriend has come to an end and Milo has decided he wants to end it all. Meanwhile across the country Maggie (Kristen Wiig) is also in a downward spiral and is contemplating ending her life when she gets a phone call that her brother is in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Having not seen or talked to each other in ten years, Maggie offers Milo a chance to come stay with her to give him time to sort things out. While helping her brother cope with his problems, Maggie is forced to confront her own, mainly her marriage to Lance (Luke Wilson), who seems to be the perfect guy. Together they help each other face their problems, like only a brother and sister know how to.
Having won best screenplay at Sundance “The Skeleton Twins” comes with high expectations. Mark Heymen and Craig Johnson the later that also directed the film wrote the screenplay that was so well received. Add two of the better comedians to come out of “SNL” in the last ten years in Hader and Wiig and you have everything you need for an enjoyable movie. While the film does have some great moments, mostly coming from Hader, the film also has its flaws. Those flaws start with Wiig who seems to still be playing the same character she has played in most of her films. Wiig is not bad, in fact she is quite good in most of the scenes she shares with Hader, it’s just that what makes her good can also become repetitious. Hader meanwhile shines playing an unhappy guy who is still searching for the meaning of his life. This movie has its moments of laughter, especially while in a dental office, but over all the film is a bit darker as it deals with suicide and the destructive decisions we make in life. I enjoyed this film if for nothing else the performance by Bill Hader who is certainly becoming a “SNL” guy that makes good, and I hope he picks more roles like this one.
Brian Taylor
