Being one of the most talked about films from Sundance, “The Kids Are All Right,” is a charming, endearing, and refreshing take on the modern family. With Annette Bening and Julianne Moore starring as a lesbian couple with two children, played by Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”) and Josh Hutcherson (“Bridge to Terabithia”). Each woman was impregnated by the same sperm donor, Paul, played sympathetically by Mark Ruffalo. The aspect that was so lovely about this film was how worn-in everything felt. The dialogue, characters, and acting seemed so real and believable; it was like watching a very well shot documentary about a family, not a film. The characters are all so loveable, despite their flaws.
The story begins with the mothers’ fifteen-year-old son, jocky Laser, persuading his bookish older sister, Joni, into contacting their biological father. The teenagers meet up with their donor and decide that he seems like a likeable guy and want to get to know him more. Mark Ruffalo’s Paul, is a free-spirited organic farmer and single restaurant owner who hasn’t made any sort of familial connection of his own. Once he starts talking to the biological children he never knew he had, he goes to their house to meet their mothers,’ in attempt to gain some type of relationship with his biological children and their parents.
Annette Bening is as fantastic as ever as the tightly wound, neurotic Nic, a driven doctor, who is less than pleased at the opportunity of meeting Paul. Playing a neurotic housewife seems to be a role that fits her quite well, as seen in 1999’s flawless performance in “American Beauty.” Bening is still able to provide the perfect amount of emotional gravitas to make her character instantly likeable and sympathetic. Julianne Moore is, as always, wonderful as the slightly flighty dreamer Jules, who wants to start her own landscaping business. The dynamic between the two veteran actresses is fantastic to watch, as they are both completely convincing as a lesbian couple. There are snappy one-liners and laugh-out-loud hilarious moments in the film that makes you like the characters all the more. In one scene, before meeting their sperm donor, Jules tells Nic to take it easy with the amount of wine she drinks at dinner and Bening snaps back, “Same with your micro-managing.” In another scene, Nic and Jules are explaining to Paul how the two first met while everyone is sitting down for lunch. Nic explains the two met in an emergency room when Jules’ tongue was numb. Nic told her to relax and magically, Jules tongue was no longer numb. As the two women start giggling and sharing loving looks, you can almost hear the adolescent eye rolls.
The only problem I had with the film is in the somewhat weak effort in Laser and Joni’s subplots, as Laser learns to stand up to a friend. Joni goes to a party, gets drunk, kisses her crush, and drives home. I was distinctly annoyed with the fact that there were no consequences for Joni driving drunk, despite being caught by both her mothers.’ Besides these small and inconsequential grievances, the two teenage actors had their time to shine in this film among some of acting’s heavyweights. In the scheme of the whole film, these annoyances do nothing really to tarnish this heartwarming and witty film.
Jules begins doing some landscaping work for Paul, and the two start an affair, which is surprising, but completely believable due to the amount of work the actors put in to make it so. As a result, the definition of family and love is questioned when Paul begins falling in love with Jules. At one point, he even awkwardly and impulsively suggests making his relationship with Jules work with the two kids, leaving controlling Nic out of the picture. Director Lisa Cholodenko does a good job to show Paul as unstable and when the film’s conclusion arrives, one might feel as though Paul should have had some sort of resolution, but the audience knows that the most cohesive family situation is the unconventional but loving and stable one that is provided by Nic and Jules. As the couple try to put their now-fragmented family back together, the kids suffer from the fall out, pushing Paul away as a result. This film is about the heartbreak, regret and troubles that married life undoubtedly encounters, but it is in the family’s ability to overcome these problems which are at the real heart of this warm and funny movie. Not in complete wide release, this charming, invigorating dramedy is one of the best films of the year so far. It is a film that you have to find, and due entirely to the wonderful performances by the leads, it is well worth the search.
Rating: Four stars
Where to Find It: In Select Theaters, starting 7/9
The story begins with the mothers’ fifteen-year-old son, jocky Laser, persuading his bookish older sister, Joni, into contacting their biological father. The teenagers meet up with their donor and decide that he seems like a likeable guy and want to get to know him more. Mark Ruffalo’s Paul, is a free-spirited organic farmer and single restaurant owner who hasn’t made any sort of familial connection of his own. Once he starts talking to the biological children he never knew he had, he goes to their house to meet their mothers,’ in attempt to gain some type of relationship with his biological children and their parents.
Annette Bening is as fantastic as ever as the tightly wound, neurotic Nic, a driven doctor, who is less than pleased at the opportunity of meeting Paul. Playing a neurotic housewife seems to be a role that fits her quite well, as seen in 1999’s flawless performance in “American Beauty.” Bening is still able to provide the perfect amount of emotional gravitas to make her character instantly likeable and sympathetic. Julianne Moore is, as always, wonderful as the slightly flighty dreamer Jules, who wants to start her own landscaping business. The dynamic between the two veteran actresses is fantastic to watch, as they are both completely convincing as a lesbian couple. There are snappy one-liners and laugh-out-loud hilarious moments in the film that makes you like the characters all the more. In one scene, before meeting their sperm donor, Jules tells Nic to take it easy with the amount of wine she drinks at dinner and Bening snaps back, “Same with your micro-managing.” In another scene, Nic and Jules are explaining to Paul how the two first met while everyone is sitting down for lunch. Nic explains the two met in an emergency room when Jules’ tongue was numb. Nic told her to relax and magically, Jules tongue was no longer numb. As the two women start giggling and sharing loving looks, you can almost hear the adolescent eye rolls.
The only problem I had with the film is in the somewhat weak effort in Laser and Joni’s subplots, as Laser learns to stand up to a friend. Joni goes to a party, gets drunk, kisses her crush, and drives home. I was distinctly annoyed with the fact that there were no consequences for Joni driving drunk, despite being caught by both her mothers.’ Besides these small and inconsequential grievances, the two teenage actors had their time to shine in this film among some of acting’s heavyweights. In the scheme of the whole film, these annoyances do nothing really to tarnish this heartwarming and witty film.
Jules begins doing some landscaping work for Paul, and the two start an affair, which is surprising, but completely believable due to the amount of work the actors put in to make it so. As a result, the definition of family and love is questioned when Paul begins falling in love with Jules. At one point, he even awkwardly and impulsively suggests making his relationship with Jules work with the two kids, leaving controlling Nic out of the picture. Director Lisa Cholodenko does a good job to show Paul as unstable and when the film’s conclusion arrives, one might feel as though Paul should have had some sort of resolution, but the audience knows that the most cohesive family situation is the unconventional but loving and stable one that is provided by Nic and Jules. As the couple try to put their now-fragmented family back together, the kids suffer from the fall out, pushing Paul away as a result. This film is about the heartbreak, regret and troubles that married life undoubtedly encounters, but it is in the family’s ability to overcome these problems which are at the real heart of this warm and funny movie. Not in complete wide release, this charming, invigorating dramedy is one of the best films of the year so far. It is a film that you have to find, and due entirely to the wonderful performances by the leads, it is well worth the search.
Rating: Four stars
Where to Find It: In Select Theaters, starting 7/9
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