The Skeleton Twins (2014)

After her gay brother (Bill Hader) is released from a hospital after a suicide attempt, the sister (Kristen Wiig) he hasn't seen in ten years takes him in. They begin to bond again but their troubled past has so screwed them up that they may never be whole again ..... if they ever were. A popular film at this year's Sundance film festival, I was expecting more than another dysfunctional family dramedy. The cliches are abundant but I wouldn't mind that if only the writing were better. It makes one appreciate how good Tracy Letts writing on last year's dysfunctional family drama AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY was. There's a subplot involving Hader and an old high school teacher (Ty Burrell, MODERN FAMILY) that's the most interesting portion of the film but it's not fully developed. Fortunately, the running time is a merciful 90 minutes as it was already starting to wear out its welcome. On the plus side and it's a very big plus are the two central performances by Wiig and especially Hader which manage to stomp over the cliches and bring something fresh to the table. Directed by Craig Johnson. With Luke Wilson (very good) as Wiig's good natured husband and Joanna Gleason as their delusional mother.