Review of The Kids Are All Right (2010) by Tommy 'See The Treasure' S — 08 May 2014

The premise is kind of interesting: An exploration of the problems of an unconventional modern family. Nic and Jules(Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) are a long-time lesbian couple. They have two children, one born to each mother with the aid of an anonymous sperm donor. They have a relatively happy life. Sure, they have a few issues but no more than any other family. The early scenes are pretty good at establishing this interesting domestic setting. Nic, a doctor and the main breadwinner of the house, is very neurotic and a bit too fond of wine, whereas Jules is passionate about garden design. The kids are happy and well-adjusted too. Joni(Mia Wasikowska) is a very smart, A-grade student, preparing to head off to college. Her younger brother, Laser(Josh Hutcherson) is a talented athlete and a good-natured kid, albeit with a poor choice of friends. This relatively balanced family is disturbed when the kids decide to seek out their biological dad, Paul(played by Mark Ruffalo).

Paul is the chilled out, casually alternative type who takes it all in his stride and uses phrases like 'right on'. He's a cavalier bachelor and a successful restaurant owner, with a penchant for organic food and fast motorbikes. The kids quite like him, especially Joni, who is enamoured with her new-found father figure. Jules is also quite fond of the charismatic Paul, and even agrees to take a job designing his garden. Nic, however, views Paul as a threat; an interloper who would sneak in steal her family.

Although the movie is about a pretty unconventional family, you might be surprised by how conventional and familiar so much of it feels. That's not altogether a bad thing. I sense that the point director Lisa Cholodenko was trying to make, is that the struggles of a gay marriage are not really much different from any other marriage. While watching I was reminded of other (and frankly better) family movies such as Parenthood and Down and out in Beverly Hills. It especially reminded me of the latter movie, in which a bum(Nick Nolte) befriends a very rich family, and in the process exposes a frail family dynamic. Mark Ruffalo has a similar role in this movie: the inadvertent interloper who upsets a fragile family unit.

Unfortunately, the screenplay is quite problematic. Essentially the writing is seriously lacking in energy and wit. At times the futile strain for humour results in some pretty cringe-worthy lines, such as when Moore's character observes to her 15 year-old son: 'I wish you were gay. You'd be a lot more sensitive that way.' The more melodramatic lines aren't much better. To pick on Moore again, her character has some real stinkers: 'sometimes you hurt the ones you love the most.' Yet, when the movie is not trying too hard to be funny or sweet it does okay, and funny moments sometimes occur organically, usually as a result of Annette Bening's ultra-uptight character.

What the movie does have going for it is excellent acting. Annette Bening is superb as the controlling and unhinged Nic, and Julianne Moore is just as impressive as the more sensitive and needy Jules. Moore and Benning have excellent screen chemistry together, and they make for a very plausible lesbian couple. Ruffalo nails it as the cool and progressive Paul, playing him with a perfect amount of sleaze and tenderness. Wasikowska and Hutcherson also do very well as the two kids. It's just a shame that such fine acting was let down by a mediocre script.