The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Skeleton Twins’ Showcases A Dramatic Breakthrough For Bill Hader And Kristen Wiig
By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 27, 2020 7:00 am EST
These kind of movies can be hit or miss, but thanks to a pair of grounded performances from Wiig and Hader, the movie feels instantly relatable. It’s a taste of the incredible performances to come from each of them in the years that would follow. There’s restraint in the comedic side of their performance. Various scenes could have easily been dominated by brilliant improvised one-liners, the kind that you see with extensive outtakes in Judd Apatow movies. While Hader and Wiig undoubtedly threw some of those gags around on set, director Craig Johnson knew to keep them firmly in check, putting more attention on the dramatic side of their performance. But at the same time,it never feels like you’re just watching comedians who are desperately trying to show that they can act. It all feels natural, and that’s largely because of the chemistry that Hader and Wiig built at Saturday Night Live.
That’s not to say this movie isn’t funny though. For every moment of sadness or depression, there are still dry, and occasionally dark jokes. Even the most memorable part of this movie, a stellar lip sync sequence that brings the brother and sister together after a disagreement, isn’t as flashy as it could have been, and it’s instead made to feel like an intimate inside gag between the siblings. Watch it below, and then go watch this fantastic indie gem.
