Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Release Date: November 16, 2010
MPAA Rating: R
The Kids Are All Right takes a look at an unconventional family with universal problems. Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a lesbian couple raising their two children whom they conceived through artificial insemination. Nic is a doctor who hits the bottle a little too often while Jules is indecisive in her career, despite being in her forties. Their daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), is about to go away for college and their son, Laser (Josh Hutcherson), is in his awkward teens. Besides some slight external flaws, it would appear that their family is a happy and healthy one.
The family soon finds itself struggling to keep themselves together after Laser and Joni seek out their biological father without their parents' permission or knowledge. Paul (Mark Ruffalo) is a motorcycle-riding organic restaurant owner who automatically welcomes Joni and Laser into his life. Joni finds Paul to be everything she had hoped, but Laser is weary of him. Eventually Nic and Jules meet Paul during an awkwardly funny dinner at their house and soon lines are drawn. Nic sides with Laser and doesn't trust Paul, while Jules sides with Joni and doesn't see the harm in him.
Things get worse when Jules offers to help out with Paul's unruly backyard (at this point in her life she fancies herself a landscape artist) and she finds herself strangely attracted to him. This strains her all ready unstable relationship with Nic, and divides the family even more. As the summer draws to a close and Joni prepares to leave for college, it's unsure whether or not the once close-knit family will recover.
What sets this film apart from your standardized Hollywood family flick is the acting. Seriously, you couldn't ask for a better cast. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore just feel like a real couple who have been together for years. They are incredibly in sync with one another which adds to the realism of their relationship. Moore would appear to have the better role, being able to break loose and express herself more freely as Jules; However, Bening is just as great as the over-worked, over-stressed breadwinner who is desperately trying to protect her family. Mark Ruffalo radiates charm in this film. He is perfect as the "donor dad" who, after years of living with no attachments, finds himself casually agreeing to play dad to the kids he's fathered. Plus, he manages to hold his own with cinema vets Bening and Moore. Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson are right on the money as the teenagers coming into adulthood and dealing with the changes that come with that.
Like Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, this "little movie that could" has gained a lot of Oscar buzz. Bening and Moore are guaranteed nominations, and rumor has it that they will both vie for the Best Actress award. Ruffalo stands a chance for a Best Supporting Actor, nomination while writers Lisa Cholodenko (who also directed) and Stuart Blumberg may be nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
The Kids Are All Right has something everyone can relate to, even if your family isn't as unconventionally structured.
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