Review of The Kids Are All Right (2010) by Eden R — 02 Mar 2012

This is a strange film. I can't help but think that because it depicted a gay couple dealing with family issues that it got a pass on the ridiculous plot line. In fact, if anything it subverted its own message that gay couples especially with children are the same as anyone else and deal with all the same issues because in a lot of ways their issues were kinda weird.

One of the main problems I had with the film was that the film's integrity rested on carefully presenting a fully realised gay couple. In some ways this is achieved purely by writing Benning's character as a guy. Almost note for note, the character could have been played by a male character. Two things undercut this. One is the jarring subplot that the lesbian couple watch male gay porn. Now there might be some couples of all persuausions to which this might be their thing but when I discussed this with a few friends especially my gay ones backed me up that it just didn't make sense at all. The other involves the major plot piece of the film but it too completely felt false.

Now the positives include some nicely crafted natural dialogue, interesting characters and a fantastic cast. This is by far the greatest strength of the film. All the cast members bring strong performances that bring the films drama to life.

It is rare that I laugh out loud AT a serious film. I guess this will be memorable just for that.