The Skeleton Twins 2014

Wesley Morris, Grantland: The filmmakers think the comedy is where all the humanity is, and maybe they're right. But they don't take humor far enough. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Finally, a post-"Bridesmaids" film that lets Kristen Wiig shine - and brilliantly taps into co-star Bill Hader's vulnerable side, too. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: It plays to the antic gifts of its stars, two Saturday Night Live luminaries reunited in the roles of troubled twins reunited by near-tragedy, yet it also turns them loose to explore deeper regions of hurt and love. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: If "sad comedy" is a genre, Craig Johnson's thoughtful, touching film fits right in. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: The characters and their anxieties are for the most part nicely judged. Read more

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: If Hader has the benefit of slightly more screen time, Wiig is no less impressive as a woman quietly falling completely apart. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: [It] deflects criticism, its leads working hard to win folks over. Like Maggie, audiences may be powerless to resist. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig ... turn their talents toward some really heavy drama, while managing to serve up a few laughs along the way. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Low-fi and engaging, sometimes mordantly hilarious and at other moments genuinely touching, the movie suffers both from the Flat Hipster Affect that can stunt independent films and from more calculated mainstream touches. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Writing and directing his second feature, Craig Johnson demonstrates a knowing sense of how consciously, and helplessly, some people destroy themselves. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Some weeks at the movies are like this. You settle for wonderful actors doing some wonderful acting with scripts that support those efforts even as they limit them. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: "The Skeleton Twins" is a lovingly calibrated mix of heartbreak and hopefulness, guilt and the will to do better. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: The two costars elevate the film beyond formula. Their onscreen rapport is infectious and believable. Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: How can you hate a movie that has a giggly Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig making fart noises at each other? Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Warm, funny, heartfelt and even uplifting, the film is led by revelatory performances from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, both of them exploring rewarding new dramatic range without neglecting their mad comedic skills. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: One of the better movies to come along this year. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Even with performers as likable as Hader and Wiig, and characters as likable as Milo and Maggie, sympathy should be earned. Like an cocksure banker, Johnson takes our investment for granted. Read more

Richard Brody, New Yorker: The direction has no style, and the script has no perspective; the result is drama by number. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: At its best, The Skeleton Twins exudes the vague unease of two putative grown-ups trying to stifle their awareness that the lives they've chosen neither fit nor suit them. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Every time we veer into overly familiar territory, Hader and Wiig find a way to connect - with the script, with each other and with us. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: If countless movies about brothers and sisters reveal common family traits, "The Skeleton Twins" is subtler than most in evoking a mutual sympathy that might be called a cellular understanding. Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: What makes the movie memorable is the open-ended talent of its actors. They supply The Skeleton Twins with flesh and blood, some firm connective tissue and generous heart and soul. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: If a movie with suicide as a central theme can be deemed funny, then writer/director Craig Johnson has pulled it off, mixing heartache and humor and giving Wiig, especially, the opportunity to shine. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: This is a smart movie. Wiig gives maybe the most impressive performance of her career, and Hader is equally good. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: As we enter this season of big, important awards contenders that "matter," "The Skeleton Twins" is a small, intimate gem that might truly matter. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Hader and Wiig dig deepest and strike the truest chords when the twins' defenses are down, when their jokes don't work, when they're faced with the truth of their own blasted lives. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Ultimately this is more like a movie than a story about real life, but at least it's a movie delivered with considerable compassion, delicacy and wit, built around unforgettable performances ... Read more

Thomas Lee, San Francisco Chronicle: Hader and Wiig give rich, nuanced performances that reflect the chemistry the two actors honed together from their years on Saturday Night Live. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: When Hader and Wiig are on screen together the film's shortcomings fade because the energy they give to and take from each other ... is so palpable, it's fun just watching them banter ... Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: 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. Read more

Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The Skeleton Twins is quietly smart, sweet but never syrupy. It should erase any doubt that its two stars, who rose to success as cut-ups, also have dramatic chops. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: In a poignant and potentially depressing film, it's redeeming to see that when they are with their kindred spirits, even the saddest skeletons can dance. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Johnson's unfussy direction serves as a fine showcase for the two SNL veterans to demonstrate how their comic shorthand plays equally well in a slightly darker register. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: The Skeleton Twins is all the better for keeping us guessing as to its intentions, because that makes it more true to life. Sometimes you have to smile through the tears, and vice-versa. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The script (cowritten by director Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman) feels the need to lunge for buried family trauma, big reveals and hugs in its final act. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: Skeleton Twins isn't perfect, but it cuts to the bone. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: The film is a mite tidy in that Sundance Workshop way, but it's very enjoyable, and Johnson has a deft touch with actors. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: The actors have an obvious rapport. It's deep enough to evoke the ties, entanglements and bloodletting of a real kinship. But Wiig and Hader's instincts as entertainers are keen enough to know when to stop cutting. Read more