If you were to see a poster for THE SKELETON TWINS, you might guess, due to the cast, that the film is a comedy. After all, the film costars Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, who are both predominantly known for their comedic roles and run on Saturday Night Live. However, the first few minutes of director Craig Johnson's second feature film will set you straight: the story begins with Milo (Hader), and Maggie (Wiig), on opposite sides of the country, Milo attempting suicide and Maggie about to attempt it. Luckily, the phone call following Milo's botched attempt interrupts Maggie in her own attempt, and we finally find out the link between these two characters: Milo and Maggie are twins. And though they seem to be in sync emotionally, they have had nothing to do with each other for ten years: Milo moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, though is now floundering with his job as a waiter, while Maggie stayed in New York, became a dental hygienist, and got married.
Unfortunately, suicide is not an unfamiliar idea in the twins' lives: their father met with a similar end when they were younger, and it becomes increasingly clear as the plot progresses that depression runs in the family. Maggie offers to let Milo crash at her house for a while, and the two finally have a chance to catch up... but both try to hide their discontent in life from each other, each battling their depression in different ways: Milo tries to revisit a controversial flame from the past, and Maggie struggles to remain faithful to her extremely pleasant husband (Luke Wilson).
It's a serious story sprinkled with hilarious moments (cue "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship), and the characters are far from two-dimensional, popping off the screen in their complexity. Wiig and Hader have excellent chemistry onscreen: the relationship is believable right from their first interaction. And the rest of the cast (including Boyd Holbrook and Ty Burrell) fleshes out Milo and Maggie's world wonderfully.
The story is beautifully crafted (kudos to Johnson and co-writer Mark Heyman), from the clever balance of humor and solemnity on the surface of the story, to the deeper, interwoven symbolism of water in the twins' lives (Maggie is taking scuba diving lessons at the local pool, and Milo leaves behind two goldfish when he comes to New York... details which seem thrown in, but wrap up quite nicely by the end of the film). Don't miss this poignant film... now playing at the Midtown Cinema.
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