How connected at brother and sister Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in THE SKELETON TWINS. Very near the start of the film they both decide to commit suicide on the same day. Hader is a little more committed to the task at hand, he actually winds up in the hospital. Wiig appears ready to do it, then gets a phone call from the hospital about her brother. So, you’re wondering where is the comedy right? It’s there. Just not the point of THE SKELETON TWINS. Hader is the centerpiece. He is a failed actor in Los Angeles (not many of those, right) who has apparently just broken up with his boyfriend. She takes him home with her to their childhood home in New York. You know, being the responsible sister. I mean, she’s married to a great guy (the wonderful Luke Wilson). So she’s ok. Yeah, not so much. She is as miserable as Hader, maybe even more messed up. While Hader masks his despair by being a smart aleck, Wiig fucks away her feelings. Having affairs, even though she is married to a great guy who she claims to love. The Skeleton of the title are little toys given to Hader and Wiig as children by their eccentric father. But it also refers to the Skeletons the two keep hidden from the world and from each other. Hader has a big one, but I won’t spoil that for you here. I don’t know if it is surprising, but the remarkable thing here are the performances of Hader and Wiig. Both known more for being funny than moving. But in this film, the funny is secondary to the heart and the exploration of their dynamic as brother and sister in a dysfunctional family. Hader is a revelation. A fantastic performer who is also a potentially great actor. Only time will tell. THE SKELETON TWINS will make you laugh, think and maybe even shed a tear. What more can you ask for in a movie? — Alan Yudman