December 23, 2014
The Skeleton Twins
Michael Cox READ TIME: 2 MIN.
What do you do when your life is so far from what you planned, such an utter disappointment, that it no longer holds any value for you? For Milo (Bill Hader) in "The Skeleton Twins," it comes down to two choices: Either give up and kill himself, or move back in with his family.
He tries the killing himself option, unsuccessfully, and his twin sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig) gets a call from the hospital informing her of the attempt. Ironically, this is just as she is about to swallow a handful of pills. Though they haven't spoken in 10 years, the pair is intrinsically connected, so Maggie suggests that Milo leave California and his nonexistent acting career to move in with her and her husband Lance (Luke Wilson) in New York.
Back in his hometown, Milo rekindles a self-destructive relationship with his former lover and high school English teacher Rich (brilliantly played by "Modern Family" father Ty Burrell) as Maggie falls into a compulsive liaison with her scuba instructor Billy (Aussie hottie Boyd Holbrook, crammed into a skin-tight wetsuit).
Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, "The Skeleton Twins" capitalizes on enormous improvisational talents and effortless chemistry of "Saturday Night Live" costars Hader and Wiig. But the supporting performances (Burrell stands out) are every bit as captivating.
Reed Morano's cinematography and Craig Johnson's directing do much to elevate this Duplass Brothers' mumblecore movie into something beyond the quirky yet heartfelt Sundance success formula.
Special features on this Blu-ray -- feature commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes and a gag reel -- give viewers more of an opportunity to indulge in Wiig and Hader's comic chemistry. The featurette "Sweet Moves" is really nothing but a collage though the featurette "To Whom it May Concern: Making 'The Skeleton Twins'" provides some insight into the production's creative process.
"The Skeleton Twins"
Blu-ray
Rated R / 95 min.
skeletontwinsmovie.com