The Kids Are All Right | Review
‘The Kids Are All Right’ is a an interestingly insightful film that explores the boundaries and problems that come with marriage and family. Sure, the film revolves around a lesbian couple and their children, but the film doesn’t depend on this unconventional premise. Instead, the focus is on family and marriage, and both concepts are explored realistically, as well as humorously.
Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star as the two moms in the film, Nic and Jules respectively. Nic has an 18-year-old daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), and Jules has a 15-year-old son, Laser (Josh Hutcherson). The interesting part is that Joni and Laser are technically half-siblings, because both their moms were impregnated from the same sperm donor.
Joni and Laser decide to contact their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who happily agrees to meet with them. Paul lives a go-with-the-flow, stress-free kind of lifestyle, which contrasts completely with Nic’s lifestyle. As the children, as well as Jules, bond with Paul and begin to build a relationship with him, their relationship with Nic slowly crumble and go down-under. Nic is like the patriarch of the family – she’s the money-maker and the strict parent, which is why the other family members prefer to hang out with Paul more. Joni finds herself spending time with Paul because he’s the exact opposite of her mother, whereas Laser bonds with him because Paul’s like the father-figure to him, and Jules grows attached to Paul because he supports her ambitious and optimistic life and career goals.
The route ‘The Kids Are All Right’ takes itself upon isn’t truly predictable or formulaic, which is a plus. When the film’s plot synopsis said “family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-re-defined,” they meant it. The family members in the film go through basically three phases of their relationships with one another. Unfortunately the conclusion to the film doesn’t exactly end off right. Nic, Jules, Joni and Laser all have their resolution in the conclusion of ‘The Kids Are All Right,’ and it’s a good one, but the conclusion is lacking because Paul is not included. Paul is definitely one of the most likable characters in the film, and not having him in the conclusion just didn’t seem right. On the other hand, Paul’s non-resolution in the film is understandable due to certain circumstances that occur within the film, and the filmmakers could have excluded Paul from the conclusion in order to make the film appear more realistic. Paul’s exclusion from the conclusion may represent life, in that life doesn’t always have a lesson/moral or happy ending.
‘The Kids Are All Right’ features a like-able ensemble cast who all are convincing in their roles. ‘Alice in Wonderland’s’ Mia Wasikowska is great as the intelligent, but troubled teenage girl who just wants to have fun and let loose for a bit, while Josh Hutcherson (‘Zathura’) has plenty of great, hilarious moments. Julianne Moore (‘Magnolia’) and Mark Ruffalo (‘Shutter Island’) have the most humorous roles, and they bring the most fun to the film (but everyone else in the cast also bring hilarity and fun, too!). Mark Ruffalo does a wonderful job at portraying Paul as the charming and love-able guy to most of the family members as well as to the viewers. Annette Bening is wonderful as the crabby, uptight parental figure, and even though her character is so dislike-able throughout most of the film, her strong portrayal of Nic should be credited.
Annette Bening’s slow-motion reaction scene at Paul’s dinner is one of the most memorable scenes from the film. Bening’s facial expression was great, and the scene altogether was powerful and successfully expressed the emotion that should be felt. I can’t say anything else about the scene, because it’s an important one, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone.
Director Lisa Cholodenko has created a great film focusing on the foundation of family. ‘The Kids Are All Right’ is a hilariously entertaining feel-good film, and it’s one of the better comedies of the past year. An appealing cast, combined with an appealing storyline, proves to be entertaining in ‘The Kids Are All Right.’
