Review of The Kids Are All Right (2010) by Jmh — 06 May 2012

The Kids Are All Right is manna from heaven for viewers seeking comedy-with-substance resting on great writing handed to gifted actors. The film offers a world of complicated personalities, personal relationships, and life changes of universal resonance.

These elements are adroitly made rich through scenes that make no fuss about getting straight to the heart of the matter, painting deep, convincing back stories that fill out the core characters. These core characters are a couple, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), and the biological father of their children Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who enters the picture when their daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska) contacts him at the behest of her younger brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson).

Nic appears businesslike and levelheaded, and Jules free-spirited and needy. Paul is an emotionally immature bachelor who runs an organic restaurant. Joni is soon heading to college. Laser is an aimless, well-meaning, young teen.

All rest at the edge of difficult life changes -- reaching out for amorphous, unknown "nexts" -- accelerated and amplified when Paul enters the picture, and the family. With Paul's arrival, change happens quickly and significantly -- the characters confront and deal with great upheaval both within themselves and in the context of the family unit.

Although it sounds serious, this is also a spot-on funny film that brilliantly elides between, and marries, comedy and tragedy. All of the lead actors are stellar, particularly Moore and Bening. As the film has set in my mind, I find it's Bening's performance that stands out most.

Both Moore and Bening play the tiniest of moments with extreme intelligence and wit. The audience receives less overt insight into Bening's character, but those glimpses, coming in quick succession and plainly constituting the fulcrum of the story, are rendered flawlessly.

Still, it's both actresses' range, timing, and subtlety make this a great rather than good film.