Bill Hader Won't Be Nominated for an Oscar this Year, but He Deserves to Be

The Oscars and comedy do not always get along, in fact, it's safe to say that the Oscars have a habit of merely tolerating comedy in the same way you tolerate that friend you can't stand that's friends with all of your other friends. Sure, you may be seen in the same company as them from time to time, but you keep your distance from them, if you can help it. The same can be said with the Academy recognizing films and performances with comedic roots.


I've already made this point sometime ago when I discussed Alicia Silverstone's performance in "Clueless". Despite winning some rave reviews from top critics (and even a few critics awards), she was left off of Oscar's shortlist. Her film was even a box office success; basically she had everything an Oscar hopeful needs, but Oscar turned a blind eye, and instead recognized 5 women all giving performances in dramatic films.

There are some comedic performances that have received recognition though; Marissa Tomei, Whoopi Goldberg, Melissa McCarthy, Jack Nicholson and Kevin Kline all either won or were nominated for Oscars for roles that were comedic in nature. But typically, comedians must go dark to win the gold, a lesson Robin Williams learned. After building a career on being hilarious, he won several nominations (and eventually an Oscar) for playing dark, serious characters in equally serious films. Jim Carrey tried it, but was famously snubbed by the Academy each time, despite being very deserving.

And something tells me that this year despite “going dark” like Robin Williams had to, Bill Hader will go the way of Jim Carrey; he gives a richly complex performance in "The Skeleton Twins”, but unfortunately, the Oscars’ history with comedians outside of Robin Williams and the overall competitiveness of Best Actor this year will keep him out on the sidelines. It really is sad, because of the films I've seen this year (so far), it's high and above the best performance given by an actor.

Hader plays Milo, a gay, depressed and failing actor living in L.A. The film opens up with his failed suicide attempt, which provokes his estranged sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig) to fly out and see him after receiving the call. Despite her response, it couldn't be clearer that both Maggie and Milo haven't talked in some time (10 years we're told); though she's only inches away from his hospital bed, the distance between these 2 is astounding. But Maggie brings Milo home with her anyway, in an attempt to repair this broken relationship. To Milo, Maggie is happily married to Lance (Luke Wilson), has a nice house and a nice job.

The irony in this, lies in the fact that Maggie was about to engage in her own suicide attempt right as she received the call informing her about Milo's condition. Maggie's life, though great on the surface, is crumbling, something that becomes increasingly apparent to Milo as he continues to live with her. As the film proceeds, it becomes clear why these 2 are such a mess, what encouraged this 10 year separation and why they need each other more than ever to get their lives back on track.

As I mentioned, Hader is flat out brilliant. I was hesitant (and a little afraid) to see him play a gay role, especially since straight actors playing gay roles is a bit unnecessary. But the film refuses to let Milo's homosexuality become his one defining trait and wonder into stereotype territory. Milo is so much more than his sexuality, rather, a palette of both bright, and dark colors and shades that Hader uses to paint a complete portrayal of a man dealing with mental illness, and disappointment with life overall. He manages to infuse some bruising laughter along the way, but this is a dominantly dramatic portrayal, and it's a marvel. 

Matching him tit for tat is Kristen Wiig, who has already proved herself to be quite the dramatic actress (repeated viewings of "Bridesmaids" allows you to see some similarities with Hader's performance here). The 2 actors have proved to work well together in their skits on Saturday Night Live, but they've never clicked better than they do here. Much like Maggie and Milo need one another, so do Wiig and Hader who play off one another without breaking a sweat as if they could do this in their sleep.

That being said, Hader's performance feels more revelatory; this is his first dramatic role, which is why I found myself so floored and worked up about his work. Actors have been rewarded for doing much less in films, simply donning prosthetic noses or losing/gaining weight. Here, Hader transforms himself without to do much of anything, using only his superb talents as an actor to change himself from funny man to versatile leading man. Bravura.

Originally published by The Whit