though the script by Johnson and Mark Heyman doesn't break new ground, Johnson directs the film with a confident coolness that elevates the material in concert with the essential lead performances
the movie has a conventional heartstrings-pulling approach embedded in its bones, and the finale arrives with an obvious and fairly unbelievable climax that reeks of forced sentimentalism
the biggest surprise for audiences expecting plenty of laughs will be just how effectively both thesps handle the weightier dramatic material in the screenplay co-written by college pals Johnson and Mark Heyman
nothing can completely overcome Hader and Wiig's excellence in exploring the joys and pains of such a close familial bond. If there was a film that truly puts their SNL past in the rear view mirror, The Skeleton Twins is it
