Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby Is Not What I Expected

The trailer for Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is not a promo for the film that came out in theaters last week. It turns out, Ned Benson wrote and directed three films. The trailer uses pieces from all three. Which is odd because the idea stated in that 3-minute clip never actually comes to fruition in what is apparently titled "Them".

The concept for Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was two perspectives of a romance. The trailer emphasizes the idea that we will witness both sides of that... in the same movie. The trailer lied.

But now that I got that out of my system... this version of the movie was pretty good. Albeit, hard to watch. I really enjoyed how honest this story felt. These people and their decisions all make a sad sort of sense. And once everything is revealed and you really know why things went the way they did, there's a beautiful kind of tragedy within.

Between Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, any film would be in good hands. But this feels like the right project for them. Both bring an overwhelming level of sorrow and desperation to this picture. And it feels good to get such equal performances on either side (which is what must have been necessary for the additional two films to exist... and I would like to see those at some point). And then there's the supporting cast... an amazing group of veterans all bringing their A-game. Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Ciarán Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, with Jess Wexler, and William Hurt! What a superb cast they make.

If I had one complaint, it would be the use of the name Eleanor Rigby. Every time the characters discussed the name's origin it felt forced... like Ned Benson so badly needed an excuse to use it he had to write a couple one-liners to keep us on board. But honestly, I felt as though everyone already was on board. So it became unnecessary. The song is about lonely people... this film is about those people. It shows us where they come from. Point made. So really, I suppose my thinking is, those one liners could have just been left on the floor... the name itself wasn't the problem and at the end of the day it probably informed the story with a fun little pop reference.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, despite everything... I do like this movie. I'd recommend it even. Just recognize that it's not quite what the trailer tells you it is. To get all of that would require further viewing.

The Skeleton Twins Is An Awfully Good Time

Let's start with probably the most interesting aspect of this film. It's a drama (sort of) starring SNL's Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. That alone is worth the price of a ticket... just the oddity that is these two making a film about such serious themes as suicide, pedophilia, and general promiscuity. But The Skeleton Twins manages to go beyond that.

It does have laughs. With these two actors, how could it not? But the laughs are grounded in the real world. They feel honest and completely unforced. And Wiig and Hader never let themselves slide too far from the darker aspects of their characters. It's actually very exciting to watch such comedic people walk this tightrope. It ain't a given that they'll reach the other side. So I really appreciate Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson for giving them a vehicle to experiment so within.

And that gets me to the writers. I was fortunate enough to catch them for a Q&A this last week and was very pleased to hear how important this movie was to both of them. It's not by any means a traditional Hollywood flick. And it took them ten years to get it made, so clearly they HAD to get this thing done. I really like how they managed to take so many ridiculous themes and make something endearing and recognizable out of them. Everyone in the audience I attended with seemed onboard and nothing seemed to stray too far beyond anyone's comprehension. It really goes to show that "Hollywood formulas" are not by any means the only way to go. Something that's obviously been proven many times before, but execs tend to ignore the evidence.

In any event, The Skeleton Twins is good. Definitely worth a watch. And maybe even a rewatch if you enjoy the "dental hygiene" sequence as much as I did.