THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
****
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Screenwriter: Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
Principal cast:
Julianne Moore
Annette Bening
Mia Wasikowska
Josh Hutcherson
Mark Ruffalo
Kunal Sharma
Country: USA/France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 106 mins.
Australian release date: 2 September 2010
Lisa Cholodenko’s, The Kids Are All Right, is a contemporary family drama set in California, where life seems to be a lot more laid back than in the rest of the USA. It is not the average ‘hetero’ family. The parents are women, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), whose children Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) were conceived with the help of a sperm donation.
Lisa is about to head off to college and her brother asks her to try and help him find their ‘bio-dad’ as she has now reached 18 and can legally seek out the information. It turns out that he is not just your ordinary dull kind of guy, but a spunky, easy-going, fairly successful restaurateur, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). They do this on the quiet and it is only when Laser blurts out the info to his ‘Moms’ they then decide that a meeting should be arranged to meet Paul. Let’s face it, in California, life is more open.
As in all relationships, there is the stronger personality and, in this family, it is definitely Nic who holds the balance of power. Paul is accepted into the fold, but things start to change as he gets to know the family dynamics. The story does go down a fairly well-trodden path for a moment and I wondered if it was going to attempt yet another conversion job. I am referring to Julianne Moore’s stunning portrayal of the gal-pal in A Single Man. However, Cholodenko is not that predictable.
Cholodenko doesn’t ram the parents’ sexuality down your throat. As the story progresses, the dilemmas faced are not dissimilar to any other family. Well, that’s any family which has a surrogate parent. Paul is, as Mia says, ‘cool’ and pretty down to earth and he does not mind getting his hands dirty. Therein lay the problem.
The performances are all perfectly pitched. Australian actor, Mia Wasikowska, is a rising star and has a great future. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening deliver Oscar material and so too, does Mark Ruffalo. There is also a very solid performance from Josh Hutcherson and watch out for the drop-dead gorgeous character Jai (Kunal Sharma).
The Kids Are All Right is great independent American film and uses a script that is full of humour and pathos. It could so easily have been real cringe material. Instead we have a smart, intelligent script, by Cholodenko and Blumberg, which will appeal to audiences seeking some emotional truth. The message is simply that families, particularly children, are all important. This may divide the ranks, but I recommend that you go along and decide for yourselves.
Screenwriter: Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
Principal cast:
Julianne Moore
Annette Bening
Mia Wasikowska
Josh Hutcherson
Mark Ruffalo
Kunal Sharma
Country: USA/France
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 106 mins.
Australian release date: 2 September 2010
Lisa Cholodenko’s, The Kids Are All Right, is a contemporary family drama set in California, where life seems to be a lot more laid back than in the rest of the USA. It is not the average ‘hetero’ family. The parents are women, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), whose children Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) were conceived with the help of a sperm donation.
Lisa is about to head off to college and her brother asks her to try and help him find their ‘bio-dad’ as she has now reached 18 and can legally seek out the information. It turns out that he is not just your ordinary dull kind of guy, but a spunky, easy-going, fairly successful restaurateur, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). They do this on the quiet and it is only when Laser blurts out the info to his ‘Moms’ they then decide that a meeting should be arranged to meet Paul. Let’s face it, in California, life is more open.
As in all relationships, there is the stronger personality and, in this family, it is definitely Nic who holds the balance of power. Paul is accepted into the fold, but things start to change as he gets to know the family dynamics. The story does go down a fairly well-trodden path for a moment and I wondered if it was going to attempt yet another conversion job. I am referring to Julianne Moore’s stunning portrayal of the gal-pal in A Single Man. However, Cholodenko is not that predictable.
Cholodenko doesn’t ram the parents’ sexuality down your throat. As the story progresses, the dilemmas faced are not dissimilar to any other family. Well, that’s any family which has a surrogate parent. Paul is, as Mia says, ‘cool’ and pretty down to earth and he does not mind getting his hands dirty. Therein lay the problem.
The performances are all perfectly pitched. Australian actor, Mia Wasikowska, is a rising star and has a great future. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening deliver Oscar material and so too, does Mark Ruffalo. There is also a very solid performance from Josh Hutcherson and watch out for the drop-dead gorgeous character Jai (Kunal Sharma).
The Kids Are All Right is great independent American film and uses a script that is full of humour and pathos. It could so easily have been real cringe material. Instead we have a smart, intelligent script, by Cholodenko and Blumberg, which will appeal to audiences seeking some emotional truth. The message is simply that families, particularly children, are all important. This may divide the ranks, but I recommend that you go along and decide for yourselves.