The Skeleton Twins

A beautiful acting showcase for two talented comedians, the new film "The Skeleton Twins" goes much darker and deeper than you first expect. When a film stars the hilarious Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader (both "Saturday Night Live" alums) you expect a movie of high comedy. But Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson's script manages to navigate both comedy and drama in realistic and heartbreaking ways. (It's no surprise when Heyman is responsible for the scripts of both "Black Swan" and "The Wrestler.") This is a good thing, because it provides Hader and Wiig a way to stretch their acting muscles and prove that they can tackle pretty much anything and knock it out of the park.

Milo (Hader) is a depressed thirty-something gay actor wanna-be in Los Angeles who decides to kill himself by slashing his wrists in a tub. Three thousand miles away his twin sister Maggie (Wiig) is considering killing herself with a handful of pills. Thankfully, she is saved by a phone call that tells her that her brother is in the hospital after having survived his suicide attempt. She rushes to his bedside -- which Milo is less than thrilled about. The two are clearly estranged, but Maggie convinces him to come home with her to the East Coast to clear his head. He does so reluctantly, not even sure what he's trying to clear his head from.

Once he is settled in with Maggie and her fianc� Lance (Luke Wilson) he makes his way to a local bookstore where he has a confrontation with Rich (Ty Burrell), an older man who he clearly has a past with. Meanwhile, Lance has announced that he and Maggie are trying to get pregnant while also mentioning the various domestic activities the two have gotten involved in. Milo can't seem to wrap his head around this new and subdued version of his sister, while she can't figure out what is wrong with her brother. Before long the two have opened up a number of secrets that cause both of them to separate and reunite over the course of their visit. It is then that they realize in order to help themselves, they need to heal their relationship.

The script by Heyman and Johnson is an accurate portrayal of two people approaching middle age who realize their lives aren't anywhere near where they expected them to be. It captures the state of limbo that often occurs when big life changes are about to occur, but also the state of catatonia that happens when life isn't moving forward. The film touches on the reasons for Milo and Maggie's depression, but it also focuses on how the two stumble at trying to get themselves together. Through infidelities, avoidance, and terrible choices, Milo and Maggie keep themselves in an indeterminate state when they could be supporting each other to change their paths.

The script is perceptive and smart while also being funny, and without catering to the zaniness the two leads can offer. Both Wiig and Hader excel in what I believe are Oscar-worthy performances. Hader doesn't make Milo overly affected. We know he's gay, but it's subtle and a hundred times more realistic than most on-screen gay characters. The fact that he's gay is just a part of who he is. It's not the main focus. The most interesting things about him are the more complex pieces that he is struggling with.

Similarly, Wiig is outstanding, stripping herself of any semblance of her SNL persona and sinking in to the character of a woman deeply unfulfilled by her life. While she (and Hader) has moments of true comedy, it's intrinsic to the characters and their relationship together -- not there to appease fans of their comedic work.

Even Ty Burrell ("Modern Family") is given a character that is multifaceted. At times seeming like a victim of Hader's attention, then a bit creepier, he still comes across as sympathetic and not so black and white. And he plays this combination beautifully.

Directed by Johnson with a hands-off approach that lets the actors do their thing, "The Skeleton Twins" isn't the romp you might expect from these lead actors. Instead, you end up with something a bit more gripping and rich. It's a dark look at a part of life that will resonate with a lot of people. And it portrays the relationship of two siblings/best friends in a way that is both heartbreaking and endearing.