The Kids are All Right

Growing Pains!

By ROBERT WALDMAN

Mixed relationships provide lots of food for fodder in The Kids Are All Right, a fresh look at family turmoils now unraveling at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas. Smart dialogue abounds in this Alliance Films release that’s sure to garner lots of acclaim come Oscar time next year.

Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. Gay lifestyles today are in vogue in some areas while despised in others. Personal values and choices play a big part in the make-up of a California family headed by two women. Ten years has been a good decade for Jules and Nic. Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Annette Bening (Bugsy) play the female lovers who are “blessed” with having two children Bright beyond their years are Joni and Laser now undergoing the usual tough transition as teens. Young stars Mia Wasikowska (Defiance) and Josh Hutcherson (Fragments) shine bright as the children to these strong women.

Lots of child rearing issues face the women of the house along with one other “minor” dilemma. When the kids decide its time to meet their father they learn that this mystery man is a sperm donor who gave them life. Many people in the same predicament try to find out about their past and often their quests go unfulfilled. Not so here. Soul searching yields results and the kids end up meeting Paul. Efforts to convey the emotions of a sperm donor can be hard at the best of times to pull off but under the masterful conveyance of Mark Ruffalo (In The Cut) you get to feel the connection.

Once the elder women meet up with Paul things go a bit off the rails. Cleavages develop in the household which leads to major drama. Build-ups of tension happen often in films but seldom have the impact as what transpires in The Kids Are All Right. Guidance to the pressures all family members face here are expertly acted on all counts. Doing justice to the gay lifestyle is hard at the best of times but both Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are outstanding as the battling bitches who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Not everything in this 104 minute drama is a battle of the sexes or a battle between the sexes. Here the whole family dynamic is wonderfully developed through a very witty, timely and insightful script from director Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon). Told from a female perspective The Kids Are All Right deftly explores modern relationships that aren’t always conventional. Choices are everything in life and here we get to see two women struggle with all the pain and emotion something new can precipitate.

The Kids Are All Right will make some cry, others laugh and cause much time to pause and discuss the most innerpersonal of all issues. Smart, sophisticated and witty The Kids Are All Right turns out to be one of the most emotional films of the year and a roller coaster ride of turmoil inspired by change.

Read more reviews by Robert at www.moviereviewssite.com