SNL Alum Take On Drama in ‘The Skeleton Twins’
Lawrence Dreyfuss
Comedic actors turning to drama is nothing new in the world of cinema. Jim Carrey in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Steve Carell in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Marlon Wayans in “Requiem of a Dream,” are all examples of comedians that have successfully made the switch. Yet, to thrust two comedic actors new to the film world—Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig—into a movie with such dramatic weight, as director Craig Johnson has done in “The Skeleton Twins,” is a risk.
“The Skeleton Twins,” now in select theaters, begins with Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig), who are estranged siblings, each independently contemplating suicide. Milo is the first to attempt to end it all, so Maggie must come to LA to help him recover after 10 years of separation. Maggie decides that it is best if he come live with her in a small town New York with her husband, Lance, played by a very oblivious Luke Wilson. From there, the film never diverts too far from the expected path. Milo and Maggie bond over past experiences, Milo reconnects with an old acquaintance played by Ty Burrell, and Maggie deals with her pent-up depression.
This is a film not about plot, so much, as it is about characters and relationships. The chemistry of Wiig and Hader is electrifying. They clearly learned how to play off each others strengths during their time on Saturday Night Live and use that to full effect here.
Johnson’s direction, coupled with the lens of cinematographer Reed Morano, complement the acting performances well. The aforementioned suicide attempt sequence is done almost entirely without words. This is perhaps the greatest strength of the film, Johnson’s ability to tell a story with images. The film is also driven forward by Johnson’s use of a bold color palette and strong visual metaphors, which are laid over a soundtrack of retro-pop music.
With all that said, the screenplay is where this movie begins to come apart. Johnson, who is also the screenwriter, sticks meticulously to the words on his script. While that may have worked on the paper, in execution the film comes off as wildly inconsistent. One moment the siblings are dealing with the harsh reality of their depression, the next they are snapping off witty banter in a way that feels more akin to “His Girl Friday” than to real life. A dining-room scene with their distant mother (Joanna Gleason) stands out in this regard. Johnson sets the scene by playing the characters off one another. He builds tension that seems organic to the situation. Mom presents a toast that, comically, lasts way too long. Suddenly, reality is broken as Wiig and Hader are forced to play the humor of the overly long speech by their mother rather than fully commit to the moment. The illusion is shattered as the movie tries too hard to find the comedy in the situation.
The narrative also seems weighed down by its own elliptical structure. Everything seems forced to come full circle. From a childhood toy to a pet goldfish, anything established in Act One seems required to return in order to give it emotional weight. It’s as though Johnson applied the rule of Chekhov’s gun, which says a gun on the wall in Act One must go off in Act Three, to any and every situation. The burden of this causes Act Two to drag and Act Three to become bloated and clichéd
As a whole, the movie seems frenetic in places. However, many sequences do work very well. There is a lot of joy to be found and a lot of great character moments. Whether it’s an extended musical number set to Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop us Now,” or a quieter moment as the two leads get dressed up for Halloween, it’s clear that a lot of fun was had by the actors making this movie. It’s unfortunate that the film does not add up to something more. Yet, given two stars that are as joyful to watch as Hader and Wiig, it is still a film worth viewing.
The Skeleton Twins will be released in theaters on September 12.