Review of The Kids Are All Right (2010) by Mathieu H — 18 Nov 2012

After the quirky and daring indie "Laurel Canyon" director Lisa Cholodenko returned with a bit more traditional family drama. What separates "The Kids Are All Right" right away from the average Hollywood flick is that the family it portrays happens to be one with two mothers. Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) have raised two children into their teens. Life is peaceful and stable, but the kids Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) have secretly gotten the information of their biological father from the sperm bank. Status quo is shattered when the kids decide to meet their donor.

That donor turns out to be Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a man stuck in his teens, somewhat lost in life and more interested in wild living than in building a future for himself. His attitude is approachable for Joni and Laser who feel that their two moms are a bit too safe and stable to be interesting. Paul makes a lazy effort of getting integrated into the family, a development Jules and Nic are quite ambivalent about.

Cholodenko relies on her ability to get close to her characters, making this a subtle but intriguing film to watch. A lot of responsibility is handed to the actors, who manage to create believable characters. There is some truly excellent writing involved to carry scenes that combine lightweight comedy with drama successfully. This is not a big dramatic movie, but its an honest one that says what it wants to through characters, well-written dialog and identifiable situation drama.