Very well executed

ridiculous rating

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A Skeleton TwinsA fascinating uptake with a newer perspective on dysfunctional family drama through a siblings' vision, is a smarter way to create a light but a deeply intense feature. The writing is smart, grippingly and thoroughly entertaining except for an issue on the structure of the script that follows a rudimentary process which undermines the feature as it grows predictable as it ages on screen. Craig Johnson; the screenwriter and the director, has done a marvellous work on executing the anticipated vision on screen along with amazing visuals as it is shot beautifully too. The performance by both the lead actors is stupendous but the highlight of it would be Kirsten Wiig who is the real game changer in here. Bill Hader and Kirsten Wiig's chemistry is the crucial point in here as all the connections and conversations among the "siblings" should come off believable and fortunately they are convincing too. Despite of raising fragile and dark topics, the feature is light and breezy for the most part of it which shows the awareness of the makers, as the core relation projected in here is of twins. A Skeleton Twins has a crooked childhood, troubled twins and justifying actions occurring on screen throughout its almost 90 minutes that is utterly palpable to its tone.

A film starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader that's about battling past demons, fighting against destructive behavior patterns, depression and suicide — the "The Skeleton Twins" will surely confuse and frustrate a lot of comedy fans. Those prepared for or open to something different will find Craig Johnson's film an honest and stirring look at adult struggles.If not for a couple noteworthy improvised scenes, someone unfamiliar with Wiig and Hader would not assume these two were season sketch comedy veterans from "Saturday Night Live." They say comedy comes from a dark place, and perhaps — counter to what viewers might expect from funny people — this is precisely why they settle rather effortlessly into the roles of Maggie and Milo Dean, and the ebb and flow of humorous tones to serious ones feels natural.We are often conditioned to compartmentalize suicide with drama and seriousness, and those who have never considered the dual nature of depression will probably come out of "Skeleton Twins" feeling it was uncomfortable and awkward. The fact that these characters could have fun at all during the film after the first two scenes show an attempted and considered suicide by both leads seems unnatural. For others, Johnson and co-writer Mark Heyman's story will seem more true to life, that the lows and highs, humor and deep vulnerability and coexist in this way.At the film's core is a brother-sister relationship. When Milo attempts suicide, the hospital notifies Maggie, though the two haven't spoken in 10 years. Maggie has Milo come live with her and her husband (Luke Wilson) in the town they grew up in, at least until he can get back in the right place. Their reunion, however, brings out some secrets and issues Maggie has been avoiding, and the two must reconcile the fact that they are both good and bad for each other.The plot works through a number of subplots familiar to independent films of this ilk, which can at times keep things sluggish: Maggie has the hots for her SCUBA instructor while Milo reconnects with a former teacher with whom he had an illicit relationship. These story lines have predictable outcomes, though they do serve the characters well in forcing them to look at their deeper issues.Scenes like the dentist office and an entire karaoke routine to Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" provide needed reprieve from the weightiness of the subject matter, though regrettably they became too much of a focal point of the marketing for the film. Someone figured better to dupe audiences and make a little cash than be forthright about the film's predominantly somber, introspective tone (hence the film's less than favorable popularity ratings). There is a lot of deadpan humor to start, but this is a decisively dramatic film."The Skeleton Twins" certainly could have been more original in its story and ideas, and the narrative could have been more driven by something other than just Maggie and Milo's ambiguous day to day ups and downs as they deal with their new living situation and later on the fallout from their secrets. However, the character development and dynamics end up sufficiently carrying the weight. Wiig and Hader have long had great comedic chemistry, and it appears to be easily transferable to other genres as evidenced here. Whenever the film gets weighty or stiff, they loosen it up and imbue it with a freshness that makes it worthwhile.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

"The Skeleton Twins" is an indie dramedy starring the SNL alumni Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. The story revolves around two alienated siblings. One day, Maggie (Wiig) ponders suicide while her brother Milo (Hader) actually attempts it. After that, she invites him to live temporarily with her and her husband. As the story unfolds, the two sibling's past comes to light: revealing a difficult childhood in a troubled household. Both siblings struggled to grow up, but still did so in the hope of a better future. Unfortunately, it seems adulthood has brought them little more than disillusionment. They are outsiders in their own lives and are unable to cope with feelings and people, even loved ones, who they feel estranged to. I found it to be a captivating drama with great comedic undertones. This was largely due to the powerful performances of both Hader and Wiig, who have a real opportunity of showing their acting range. Yet, while the two main characters are very well portrayed, other characters aren't as well fleshed out: their motivations aren't clear and while they seem genuinely compelling, their arch isn't completed nor are we given any clues to their resolve. Nevertheless, "The Skeleton Twins" manages to hit the right chord between its comedic and dramatic elements. It has genuine laughs and it makes you ache for its characters, without being sentimental. While it may not be overly ambitious it is still a good and well executed film with two breakthrough performances.

Seeing who the two stars are I was expecting something totally different. This is not a comedy, it is a serious look at the life of twins who find at 35 or 40 that their lives are kind of messed up, in different ways, and they don't quite know what to do about it. But they remember that dad always said that they had to stick together. Bill Hader is Milo Dean, a homosexual living in Los Angeles, waiting tables while he anticipates his big break on the road to becoming a famous actor. His twin is Kristen Wiig as Maggie Dean, married to a nice man, Luke Wilson as Lance, and they live in a small community on the Hudson River just up from New York City (filmed in Nyack). As the movie begins we see flashbacks to when the twins were maybe 10 and dad had a skeleton mask on, each child had small skeleton toys, and later in life they each got skeleton tattoos. Thus the title "Skeleton Twins." Even then little Milo was dressing up as a girl with makeup, is it nature or is it nurture? Anyways the catalyst for the story presented here is Milo, despondent that his latest boyfriend had gone, tries to kill himself in a half-hearted wrist-slitting attempt. His loud music alerted the neighbors and they found him in time. Maggie gets a call from the hospital, at the moment she is contemplating suicide by overdose, and she flies over to be with him, seeing him the first time in 10 years.So what is it about these two that they would think things are so bad they might want to kill themselves? That is what the movie explores, and in a sense the idea that adults may look perfectly normal to those around them but really messed up under the surface.Interesting movie, and both Hader and Wiig are superb in their roles as very flawed people.SPOILERS: As Milo goes back to NY with Maggie to live for a while where they grew up, he looks up an old teacher, Ty Burrell as Rich, now with a son and a girlfriend. But Milo and Rich had had a homosexual affair when Milo was only 15 and had clearly never gotten over that. Plus Maggie and Lance were trying to start a family but she was secretly taking birth control pills, because as she got into a series of new hobbies each time she also was sleeping with her instructor. She didn't know why, she professed love for her husband but couldn't seem to resist affairs. As the movie ends Milo and Maggie seem to be helping each other and there is hope for each of them.