by Yong of Yong's Movies and Thoughts
"The Kids Are All Right" is this year’s indie darling, nominated for an Oscar in the best motion picture of the year category. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, It examines the family dynamics behind a rather unconventional one. Here’s a quick summary of the main characters. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play Nic and Jules, a loving lesbian couple raising two children conceived by artificial insemination. Nic is a physician and plays the role of the strict parent. Jules is a much more laid back and likes to hug things out. Their oldest daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is an independent and intelligent young woman getting ready to leave home for college. Their younger son, Laser (Josh Hutcherson) is an athletic teenager who doesn’t seem as well put together as his sister, but you can tell that he is a good kid with a kind heart. Your typical upper middle class family, just with two mommies instead of one.
The story picks up drama when Laser pressures Joni into finding out the identity of their moms’ sperm donor. The mysterious biological father turns out to be Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a free-spirited bachelor with a successful organic restaurant. Paul plays the stereotypical new age hipster, all about organic farming and composting. I’m all about trying to save the planet, but there was just something about Paul that just got me annoyed. But, that’s just me. When Paul is introduced to the family, Nic and Jules instantly feel threatened by his presence. They do not want to lose their children’s love to some strange man who had no role in raising their wonderful kids except for working his magic into a cup. Nic and Jules are fearful of losing their bond with their growing children. Mia is leaving home and Laser seems distant, not wanting to open up to them. Naturally, Paul’s entrance only adds to their insecurities as parents.
I was genuinely interested in seeing Paul establish a relationship with his kids. I felt Ruffalo had a good on screen chemistry with Mia Wasikowska. However, the movie shifted its focus to showing the effect of Paul’s presence on Nic and Jules’ relationship. While Nic sees Paul as a constant threat to her family’s stability, Jules is more welcoming to the idea of letting Paul into the family. As Paul’s involvement with the family grows, so does tension between Nic and Jules.
This film shows that every family, no matter how unconventional or boring it may seem, all come face to face with its set of troubles at some point. It is how a family handles its tribulations that really show how much love a family really has for one another.
This movie has its share of funny and touching moments. I really enjoyed the cinematography of the opening scenes. And the actors all delivered an excellent performance. I thought Julianne Moore was deserving of an Oscar nomination just as much as Bening. I found myself really interested in Mia Wasikowska’s character, and I just wished she had a bigger role in the movie. She is a rising actress with a lot of potential. Even though I think ‘The Kids Are All Right’ is a long shot to have a legitimate chance of winning the best picture behind the favorites like ‘The Social Network ‘ and ‘The King’s Speech’, it was definitely one of the better movies of the year and deserves its place among the ten nominees.
