"The Skeleton Twins" (2014) is the strikingly touching and often highly amusing tale of two estranged twins, Milo (Bill Hader) and Maggie (Kristen Wiig), who reunite after nearly a decade apart—desperate circumstances forcing them to confront age-old animosities and long-standing inner demons.
The storyline begins with a despondent Maggie preparing to swallow a handful of pills when she receives a call from California informing her that Milo has survived a suicide attempt on his own part. Traveling west to retrieve her childhood confidante, Maggie brings Milo back to their hometown of Nyack, New York where she now lives with her husband Lance (Luke Wilson). Despite their individual misgivings, the two slowly being to repair their fractured relationship—their tumultuous interactions highlighting a fresh and insightful tale of bittersweet reconciliation.
Co-written and directed by Craig Johnson ("Wilson", "Alex Strangelove"), "The Skeleton Twins" is a surprisingly candid and emotionally resonant character piece, given an enormous boost by Hader and Wiig's remarkably genuine performances. For a pair of actors so strongly associated with comedy, they both deliver striking earnestness and deliberation to their fully-realized roles. Alternatingly heartbreaking and hilarious, it's an impressive display of the complexities of sibling relationships and burgeoning adulthood.
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