The Skeleton Twins is about Milo (Bill Hader) and Maggie (Kristen Wiig), twins who have been estranged for the better part of a decade. After Milo attempts suicide (coincidentally at the same time Maggie is considering doing the same), his sister goes to Los Angeles and brings him back home to New York so he can recuperate. The Skeleton Twins is a fantastic movie that rides high on its sharp writing and succeeds because of the fantastic acting by its two leads.

Milo and Maggie had a trying adolescence after their father committed suicide when they were 14. Their mother, far from perfect, high school a rough time…both brother and sister were heavily traumatized and went separated ways to try to escape their past. Milo’s tragic event forces them back together. While Milo shows his pain closer to the surface, Maggie has learned to hide it much better…until she lashes out in anger when she can’t hold it in anymore. She can put up a mean front, but her words often expose her as a hypocrite.

This movie works so well because of Hader and Wiig. They worked together on SNL for seven years and are real life friends, so there is an established and sincere chemistry between them. I found their relationship as brother and sister to be completely believable. They both show range they’ve never shown before. They make Milo and Maggie three dimensional characters, we see them go though everything. They’re fights are great and meaningful. When they are alone and we see them re-establish the bond they had as children, it’s some of the best stuff captured on film. While they are two different people, deep down they are so alike. They share hardships that no one else can understand, which is what pushed them apart and is the only thing that can bring them back together. They need each other.

I really like the way the movie was shot. The production is very clear and realistic, there was never a time when I was taken out of this experience by poor production decisions. I’m a big admirer of the writing as well as the dialog rings true, relationships feel real and nothing happens just to happen. There was some considerable improv in scenes, but it all fits together (and adds a great amount of humor). Figuring out how to keep Rich (a great performance by Ty Burrell) a sympathetic character and not an all out villain (which would be super easy) is really impressive work.

For my final movie experience of 2014, I’m pretty stoked that it was a film as good as The Skeleton Twins. Great way to head into a near year. If this movie is any indication, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig have a long and fantastic movie career ahead of them. I also look forward to director/writer Craig Johnson and co-writer Mark Haymen’s (he co-wrote Black Swan!) future work (looks like I need to check out True Adolescents soon).