Review of The Kids Are All Right (2010) by Allen G — 25 Jul 2013

This isn't a special film- what I mean is that it isn't something new or fresh or anything else that its reputation would suggest. It isn't however a bad film and it does its job well-enough.

Since this film was so well-received I'll keep it short with what I liked. This isn't a laugh-a-minute comedy or anything and it stays pretty distant from the comedy genre for the most part, concentrating mostly on the drama, but it is funny at times and it never feels unrealistically manipulated in order for that to happen. It feels natural and it feels real and it makes the film better so thumbs up for getting the drama-comedy balance right, if a tad too restricted comedy-wise.

The performances are great- Moore and Ruffalo in particular were well-cast and felt very convincing. The film also looked good and the cast as a whole made it work on an emotional level enough so that the overall experience is a good one despite the film's flaws (I'll get to them).

It also looks good and the concept is relatively intriguing- the early stages of the film really made it feel like something genuinely exciting. While that doesn't last there is a continual sense of gravitas in this one somehow- it refuses to 'just' be any indie-film and I commend it for that.

Right, on to the bad stuff now... this film boiled down to a format that has already been worked to death and that doesn't really differ from anything that you'd find on a Channel 5 (I don't know the US equivalent I'm afraid) day-time movie. I shan't spoil it but we have a predictable plot twist and emotional coverage that isn't particularly deep, memorable or even powerful. In addition to this we have the annoying indie vibe- I like indie films and so I'm not attacking the tone but I honestly can't think of anything more stereotypical American-indie film than someone going through a box of vinyl's full of albums that were recorded by people who aren't American.

It's also disappointing to find a film that boasts an unconventional family-format but then uses that format mostly just for some jokes and indie-cred rather than actually showing us something that we haven't seen before- the lesbian relationship is as typical as any other according to this film and that would be fine if you made it interesting but there are plenty of man-woman marriages in films that are handled far better than the relationship here-I expected more.

The biggest flaw with this one for me is a risk that didn't pay off- Paul's storyline. It turned out to be highly frustrating and seemed to be there simply to progress the other side of the story and to try and hide the bog-standard outcome of that plot. Paul's character is a scapegoat. It's fine, maybe even good, to be brave and realistic with a plotlines' development- we don't need a happy ending but what we get here is far too undercooked, I get why it was done but when I watch a film I invest in all of the characters and I expect the film to appreciate that but that's not the case here- this is a film about a lesbian couple and their kids and some guy who is just in the way.

Ruffalo's performance deserved something more to work with and his' character deserved a conclusion, good or bad, but a conclusion anyway. Instead we get a straight-out 'get lost' when it comes to this plotline and that really dragged the film down for me. Overall plot-wise, this is as conventional as they come with a hint of spite thrown in there just to damage the film further.

It is entirely watchable and if the premise interests you at all then I recommend it but if you are going in due to the hype then you may just wonder what all the fuss was about.