CHICAGO – There is no better time to take in a stage play that is based in U.S. history, depicting the battle between fact and religion. The old theater chestnut – first mounted in 1955 – is “Inherit the Wind,” now at the Goodman Theatre, completing it’s short run through October 20th. For tickets and more information, click INHERIT.
Film Review: Parts Are Better Than the Whole in ‘The Skeleton Twins’
CHICAGO – Live from the movies, it’s Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig! The two “Saturday Night Live” veterans are “The Skeleton Twins,” and both have more to do than just be funny. There are moments that sink or swim, depending on the “Twins,” and those parts are greater than the narrative sum.
Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
Each of the brother and sister characters are suicidal, but the background of this depression is brushed aside after it’s established, to create a more congenial and consistent homecoming theme. Hader and Wiig are up to the challenge of their roles, but the script by director Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman keep them at arm’s length from a more redemptive reality. There are some fine moments in “The Skeleton Twins” – good enough for a better-than-average experience – but not good enough for a satisfying overall glimpse into their moment in time.
Maggie (Kristen Wiig) is facing an overdose of pills, a decisive moment of intention that is interrupted by a phone call. Her gay brother Milo (Bill Hader) has attempted suicide. As a result, Maggie must collect him in Los Angeles and take him back for recuperation on the East Coast, even though they haven’t seen each other in ten years. While he arrives, he finally meets Maggie’s husband Lance (Luke Wilson).
Milo insists that his attempt was a moment of madness, and it’s actually Maggie who is going through the most desperate crisis. She is a serial adulterer in her marriage, and hides birth control from a husband who wants a baby. Milo also looks up an old teacher named Rich (Ty Burrell of “Modern Family”), with whom he had his first gay affair while a teenager. It’s all about the healing, and hopefully everyone has the energy to do so.
Siblings Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader) in ‘The Skeleton Twins’
Photo credit: Roadside Attractions