As summer inevitably puts itself to rest, as does the season of the blockbuster (though the box-office reign of Guardians of the Galaxy appears to hold strong.) While awards season is on the near horizon with strong contenders slated for October release, the coming weeks see some rather sleepy openings. Theaters this weekend will see two favorites of the recent festival circuit, both depicting estranged relationships and their need for connection.
Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig bring both comedic and dramatic chops to The Skeleton Twins, a film about twin siblings who reunite after they each cheat death on the same day. The film, primarily considered a drama, has pleasantly surprised festival audiences as both former SNL favorites confidently deliver with more weight than previous roles. This is not to say either is a stranger to the dramatic path. Wiig recently starred alongside Annette Benning in Girl Most Likely, a strange dramedy that would be all but forgettable without her lead performance. Also worth mentioning is her supporting performance alongside Jon Hamm in Friends With Kids. Though he has stuck with comedy, for the most part, up to this point, Bill Hader has expressed interest in pursuing the dramatic path, including a performance in the upcoming film mentioned below.
Also opening this weekend is The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, the ambitious and long-awaited film from Ned Benson that provides a concise telling of two films, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her, both of which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The two films tell the same story of one relationship from two isolated perspectives, Him following Conor (James McAvoy) and Her following Eleanor (Jessica Chastain). Though the two separate films were the initial vision and will eventually see a release, this third film combining the stories has not necessarily been unwelcome. Them saw a nod from Cannes this year under Un Certain Regard.
Additional film opening this weekend: The Drop, featuring the final feature film performance from James Gandolfini, and No Good Deed, which was recently pulled from any early press screenings so as not to spoil a major twist, although many critics were suspicious of that.
What will you be seeing?
