The real question is whether or not the parents will be all right.
The Kids Are All Right
starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
directed by Lisa Cholodenko
There’s nothing quite like a good Dram-edy; they’ll keep you laughing all the way through, but still leave room for a solid catharsis before you walk away. There’s definitely nothing wrong with having a little fun while making a point. Throw in Academy Award Nominees Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, and you’ve got a buzz worthy independent film. There’s much too few of these as of late.
Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) have been married for more than twenty years. Yes, they live in California and yes, they’re lesbians. Along the way, both received artificial insemination so that they could start a family; older sister Joni (Wasikowska) and younger brother Laser (Hutcherson). With Joni turning eighteen and on the verge of beginning her first semester of college, Laser pleads with her to make the call to the clinic and find the information needed to contact their biological father. She relents, and both kids start contact with Paul (Ruffalo). An unmarried, slacker-esque restaurant owner, Paul is caught off guard by the kids’ call, but turns out to really be interested in getting to know Joni and Laser. Nic and Jules find out the hard way, and aren’t too happy about it. But for the love of their kids they relent, and Paul is invited into the fold and makes for one complicated family situation. But what’s more complicated than a family with two lesbian mothers and a bachelor father? Oh, let’s just call it a little sexual tension between Paul and Jules.
Lisa Cholodenko crafts a brilliantly simple story about the dynamics of the modern family. Whether you personally agree with it or not, it is undeniable that families are not simply defined as a mom, dad, and baby any longer. The Kids Are All Right shines a light on the fact that typical and not so typical families share many of the same virtues and flaws. Sometimes we don’t appreciate each other the way we should. Sometimes children disrespect their parents, and sometimes parents misinterpret their children. Sometimes, no matter how perfect you want someone to be, they still mess up. Watching Nic, Jules, Joni, Laser, and Paul interact, preconceived notions disappear and you find yourself watching a story about family struggle. Its not so different and unusual as you might believe it to be after all.
And yet somehow, on top of all the dramatic story telling, the film makers still find time to make you laugh. Though The Kids Are All Right really has a serious message, it will make you laugh more than not. Inbetween the family issues, Cholodenko keeps it down to earth with the day in and day out funny situations that come with living together. Disagreements over job choices, telling your mate to take it easy on the wine, the snappy come backs from your kids, or even catching a child watching adult films. Its this common family situational humor, combined with the drama, that makes the film and its resolution so easy to identify with.
All that said, what makes The Kids Are All Right really special is the acting; a touching story is not defined by script alone. Both kids pull off strong performances; Josh Hutcherson never impressed me in Journey to the Center of the Earth or Cirque du Freak, but his performance here shows maturity and growth. He plays fifteen year old Laser as a typically aloof and young guy, only with a strong sense of self. Mia Wasiksowska manages to top herself in the follow up to her last major flick, Alice in Wonderland. Her acting is beautifully articulate, and she lays wide open the broken heart of an eighteen year old to the audience. Annette Bening plays the masculine, slightly alcoholic Nic quite well. We all know the over worked doctor that under appreciates his/her family, and Bening brings it home with style. Mark Ruffalo plays the cool and savvy Paul like the part is made for him; but he manages to bring a dark tone to the bacholer right on cue. When is this guy going to get nominated for an award? Perhaps the powerhouse of the entire cast though, is Julianne Moore. She brings her masterful approach to quirky and intricate characters we’ve seen from Boogie Nights, Children of Men, and A Single Man to the part of Jules. She makes the everyday insecurities and faults of a regular person dramatic, and makes it look like a cake walk in the process.
The Kids Are Alright is a preconception shattering film. Even unusual families have their ups and downs, and still manage to love and forgive one another in the process. There’s one plot thread that is never tied up, but its a personal preference thing and I can’t knock the film for it. Cholodenko tells the story that she meant to, and did so wonderfully. I highly recommend it, and I will be a bit surprised if the Academy overlooks everything this little film has to offer. But, then again, they completely ignored Away We Go last year. So who knows.
A Modern (Complicated) Family
The real question is whether or not the parents will be all right.
The Kids Are All Right
starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
directed by Lisa Cholodenko
There’s nothing quite like a good Dram-edy; they’ll keep you laughing all the way through, but still leave room for a solid catharsis before you walk away. There’s definitely nothing wrong with having a little fun while making a point. Throw in Academy Award Nominees Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, and you’ve got a buzz worthy independent film. There’s much too few of these as of late.
Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) have been married for more than twenty years. Yes, they live in California and yes, they’re lesbians. Along the way, both received artificial insemination so that they could start a family; older sister Joni (Wasikowska) and younger brother Laser (Hutcherson). With Joni turning eighteen and on the verge of beginning her first semester of college, Laser pleads with her to make the call to the clinic and find the information needed to contact their biological father. She relents, and both kids start contact with Paul (Ruffalo). An unmarried, slacker-esque restaurant owner, Paul is caught off guard by the kids’ call, but turns out to really be interested in getting to know Joni and Laser. Nic and Jules find out the hard way, and aren’t too happy about it. But for the love of their kids they relent, and Paul is invited into the fold and makes for one complicated family situation. But what’s more complicated than a family with two lesbian mothers and a bachelor father? Oh, let’s just call it a little sexual tension between Paul and Jules.
Lisa Cholodenko crafts a brilliantly simple story about the dynamics of the modern family. Whether you personally agree with it or not, it is undeniable that families are not simply defined as a mom, dad, and baby any longer. The Kids Are All Right shines a light on the fact that typical and not so typical families share many of the same virtues and flaws. Sometimes we don’t appreciate each other the way we should. Sometimes children disrespect their parents, and sometimes parents misinterpret their children. Sometimes, no matter how perfect you want someone to be, they still mess up. Watching Nic, Jules, Joni, Laser, and Paul interact, preconceived notions disappear and you find yourself watching a story about family struggle. Its not so different and unusual as you might believe it to be after all.
And yet somehow, on top of all the dramatic story telling, the film makers still find time to make you laugh. Though The Kids Are All Right really has a serious message, it will make you laugh more than not. Inbetween the family issues, Cholodenko keeps it down to earth with the day in and day out funny situations that come with living together. Disagreements over job choices, telling your mate to take it easy on the wine, the snappy come backs from your kids, or even catching a child watching adult films. Its this common family situational humor, combined with the drama, that makes the film and its resolution so easy to identify with.
All that said, what makes The Kids Are All Right really special is the acting; a touching story is not defined by script alone. Both kids pull off strong performances; Josh Hutcherson never impressed me in Journey to the Center of the Earth or Cirque du Freak, but his performance here shows maturity and growth. He plays fifteen year old Laser as a typically aloof and young guy, only with a strong sense of self. Mia Wasiksowska manages to top herself in the follow up to her last major flick, Alice in Wonderland. Her acting is beautifully articulate, and she lays wide open the broken heart of an eighteen year old to the audience. Annette Bening plays the masculine, slightly alcoholic Nic quite well. We all know the over worked doctor that under appreciates his/her family, and Bening brings it home with style. Mark Ruffalo plays the cool and savvy Paul like the part is made for him; but he manages to bring a dark tone to the bacholer right on cue. When is this guy going to get nominated for an award? Perhaps the powerhouse of the entire cast though, is Julianne Moore. She brings her masterful approach to quirky and intricate characters we’ve seen from Boogie Nights, Children of Men, and A Single Man to the part of Jules. She makes the everyday insecurities and faults of a regular person dramatic, and makes it look like a cake walk in the process.
The Kids Are Alright is a preconception shattering film. Even unusual families have their ups and downs, and still manage to love and forgive one another in the process. There’s one plot thread that is never tied up, but its a personal preference thing and I can’t knock the film for it. Cholodenko tells the story that she meant to, and did so wonderfully. I highly recommend it, and I will be a bit surprised if the Academy overlooks everything this little film has to offer. But, then again, they completely ignored Away We Go last year. So who knows.