Wiig, Hader Transform in Skeleton Twins

Audiences are raving about The Skeleton Twins almost as much as critics. The drama starring Saturday Night Live alums Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader has nabbed a thumbs-up from 83% of viewers and 88% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. What's to love?

• Betsy Sharkey at the Los Angeles Times calls The Skeleton Twins "one of the better movies to come along this year" thanks to Wiig and Hader, who bring a stellar script to life. They "till the terrifying terrain of adults who lost their father to suicide when they were young with such eloquent grace that it speaks volumes about the depth of their talent."
• "Though there are moments of silliness that remind you of the goofy, quicksilver brilliance of these former sketch-comedy whiz kids, the movie is a serious and surprisingly affecting meditation on family and the legacy of self-destruction," writes Michael O'Sullivan at the Washington Post. He adds that Wiig and Hader "bring an at-times frighteningly believable brother-sister dynamic to the sharply told tale."
• "Skeleton Twins isn't perfect, but it cuts to the bone," writes Alan Scherstuhl at the Village Voice. It also "confirms the good sense of Kristen Wiig. Rather than go bigger and bigger in sequels and studio comedies, she goes deeper into character." Oh, and watch out for a scene of "fart-dancing on the floor of a dentist's office."
• Colin Covert at the Minneapolis Star Tribune also has high praise. "In the same way that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind redefined Jim Carrey, this affecting and poignant drama-with-laughs shatters your expectations of Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig." They bring laughter while "the movie's themes of abuse, infidelity, and self-destructive impulsiveness are played straight."

(More Kristen Wiig stories.)