REEL ADVICE

Laughing all the way

Fri. December 5, 2014 12:00 AM
by Gregg Shapiro

Movie comedies took more risks than usual in 2014, beginning with Obvious Child (A24), Gillian Robespierre's unflinching abortion rom-com. Yes, you read that right. Bookstore clerk/unapologetic stand-up comic Donna (Jenny Slate, who has earned a Spirit Award nomination for her performance) hits a rough patch. Her douchey boyfriend dumps her. The bookstore where she works is closing. Worse still, her break-up material isn't going over with the audience at the club.

However, Donna has a great support system, including best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffman of Transparent), fellow comic and gay BFF Joey (gay comic gay Gabe Liedman), and her divorced parents, writer Jacob (Richard Kind) and college professor Nancy (Polly Draper). As it turns out, she's going to need a lot of support.

One night Donna meets Max (the sexy Jake Lacy) at the comedy club where she performs. The improbable pair -- according to Donna, Max is so Christian he's a Christmas tree and he personally knows Santa, whereas she is the menorah on the Christmas tree that burns it down -- follows some humorous flirtation (and public urination) with drinks, dancing in their underwear, and oops, unprotected sex. A few weeks later, when Donna's "boobs hurt really bad," she discovers she's pregnant and schedules an abortion on – wait for it – Valentine's Day.

But here is where Obvious Child becomes anything but obvious. There are delightful surprises throughout (wait until you find out who is one of Nancy's students!) and Slate gives a performance that is both witty and weary (not an easy combo). DVD/Digital special features include extended scenes, a featurette, the 2009 Obvious Child short and audio commentary.

The Skeleton Twins, the perfect comic companion piece to Obvious Child, is a pitch black comedy about suicide, secrets, bad mothers, alcoholism, strained sibling relationships, marital infidelity, pedophilia, inappropriate behavior, lip synching and Halloween. What saves it from being a total downer is the brilliantly funny writing by Mark Heyman ("Black Swan") and director Craig Johnson, as well as the extraordinary performances by lead actors (and former SNL cohorts) Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig.

Siblings Milo (Hader), an actor/waiter, and dental hygienist Maggie (Wiig), known as the "gruesome twosome," are reunited after 10 years following Milo's failed suicide attempt in Los Angeles. Returning to their Nyack, New York hometown, where Maggie lives with sexy but slow husband Lance (Luke Wilson), the sibs attempt to repair their broken brother and sisterhood.

Gay Milo is depressed but hasn't lost his alternately silly and snarky edge. Milo's presence seems to spark something in Maggie, who has been leading Lance to believe she is participating in their attempts to get pregnant, while secretly taking birth control pills. Also unbeknownst to poor Lance, Maggie struggles with monogamy issues.

Meanwhile, Milo uses the hometown return opportunity to attempt to reconnect with an old lover. The emphasis is on old because, as a 15 year old high school student, Milo became involved with his older English teacher Rich (Ty Burrell). The affair cost Rich his job (he now runs a bookstore) and played a part in Milo's ongoing downward spiral.

If it all sounds kind of bleak, it is. However, there are more than enough comedic situations, including a visit from their woo-woo and itinerant mother Judy (Joanna Gleason), a nitrous oxide episode at Judy's office, and a choreographed bit to Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," that effectively balance the looming darkness. Wiig's performance shows depth and dimension, but it's Hader who has the (skeleton) keys to the kingdom. Milo is much more than just Hader expanding on his beloved Stefon character from SNL. Hader completely fleshes out Milo, making him familiar, funny, fresh and unforgettable. The DVD/Digital edition contains a wealth of special features including a gag reel, deleted scenes with optional commentary by Johnson, featurettes and more.