Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” the greatest song of all time. I find this suspect for two reasons: First, it’s a coincidence of staggering proportions that the publication’s choice for best song ever just so happens to include the words rolling and stone. That’d be like if I started a newsletter titled “Josh Monthly,” wrote an article titled “The 500 Greatest Actors of All Time,” and then placed Joshua Jackson at the top of my list. Joshua Jackson is not the greatest actor of all time. Joshua Jackson is the fifth greatest actor of all time, behind Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Paul Newman.
One song that didn’t crack Rolling Stone’s top 500 is Starship’s 1986 No. 1 hit “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Best described sonically as “what a rainbow would sound like if gifted with a voice,” this ’80s bopper not only climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but it also earned an Academy Award nomination thanks to its involvement with the film Mannequin, a 1987 romantic comedy centering on the other guy from Weekend at Bernie’s falling in love with a mannequin.
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” is irrefutably fun, a fact the writers of the 2014 dramedy The Skeleton Twins knew all too well.
Now streaming on Hulu and Prime Video, this sensational indie film stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as estranged twins who reunite and try to mend their fragile relationship. The movie is terrific and you should absolutely watch it, but the purpose of this article is to shine a light on three minutes of sheer cinematic joy. I’m, of course, talking about the effervescent Bill Hader/Kristen Wiig “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” lip sync scene.
I’m not prone to exaggeration and I don’t want to oversell this scene, but it’s the greatest artistic accomplishment in the history of mankind. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig’s chemistry? Unparalleled. The comedic acting? Exceptional. The amount of fun you’ll have while watching it? A lot.
This festive three-minute scene is, pardon the alliteration, a can’t miss cure for a crappy, crummy day.
Here are a few of my favorite moments:
- Bill Hader tickling the ivories will both the look and enthusiasm of The Joker.
- Every single annoyed Kristen Wiig reaction shot.
- Bill Hader’s face when he’s initially rebuked by Wiig.
- Hader’s simple yet effective choreography for the following section of the song: “Put your hand in my hand baby don’t ever look baaaack. Let the world around us, just fall apartttt, baby we can make it if we’re heart to heartttttt.”
- The Luke Wilson of it all. Just an exceptional job here in a small yet pivotal role. He’s like “Hey, I’m totally cool with your weird brother… but like… not that cool. Alright, you two weirdos have fun. I’m gonna go watch Bucks/76ers highlights.” A+ stuff.
- Kristen Wiig shaking her head no.
- An unflappable Hader continuing the bit after Wiig says “Okay, I got it.”
- Bill Hader dancing next to Luke Wilson and shushing him.
- Kristin Wiig stoically mouthing “Let ’em say we’re crazy” and Hader’s jubilant reaction.
- Kristin Wiig getting INTO It.
- Two depressed people finding a moment of happiness in this crazy, crazy world.
What a treat. I love this scene so much. Improve your day by 28% by watching it below.
The Skeleton Twins is available to stream on Hulu and Prime Video.
