Sunday, December 21, 2014

The Skeleton Twins

Written and directed by Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman The Skeleton Twins, is a holiday release staple of a awkward family dramedy starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader as estranged twins who both contemplate suicide on the same day.

Brought back together after Milo's unsuccessful suicide attempt, Maggie and Milo get to know each other again after being apart for nearly an entire decade as Milo struggles to fit into Maggie's life with her optimistic go-getter husband (Luke Wilson) while discovering his sister's life is just as fucked-up as his own as she continually cheats on the man she professes to love while hiding the fact that she's still on birth control as they try to get pregnant.

Neither as dramatic nor humorous as you might first assume given the subject matter and its two former Saturday Night Live stars, splitting the difference The Skeleton Twins mixes in some dark humor to balance out the siblings' poor life choices which lead them both to consider taking their own lives.

The Skeleton Twins is a solid film, and far better than many films made by former SNL cast members. The reveal of Milo's relationship to his former teacher (Ty Burrell) is never as creepy as it needs to be but Wiig's exasperation at the antics of both her brother and husband (and her own poor choices) are wondeful to watch. More of a good film with a handful of really good moments than anything else, it may not be a must-see (and might turn of some fans for being far less humorous than expected) but it is certainly worth a look.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray include digital copies of the film along with outtakes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film, and two audio commentary tracks featuring the film's stars and Craig Johnson and Heyman.

[Lionsgate, DVD $19.98 / Blu-ray $24.99]

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