Movie Review: "The Kids are All Right"

Ok, I'll admit that if this movie had not been nominated for Best Picture and hadn't been showing at the Best Picture showcase, I probably wouldn't have seen it. It's just not my type of movie. That being said, I am glad however that I did see it. While it's not really my cup of tea, it was an enjoyable and thought provoking movie.

The premise of the story is that the children of a lesbian couple want to find their birth father. He was the same sperm donor to both of their mothers. The movie takes a twist on the average All-American family story by placing a same sex couple as the main parents. The writing of the movie is well done. It's funny at times (though not a comedy as the Golden Globes seems to think it is), serious and very realistic. The acting is very good especially I felt done by the teens. Joni is quite level headed and Laser is pretty much your typical teenage guy but he's a good kid. Something I found rather interesting was that when wondering what was going on with Laser and his friend, Jules and Nic's first reaction is that he might be gay. It doesn't seem to dawn on them that there might be other issues (such as drugs, which he is shown using in one scene) going on that they need to talk to him about.

The thing that stood out to me the most was that in any relationship, both people have to think about the other person and put them first. Jules has begun to feel neglected and thinks negatively of herself in comparison to Nic. Even when she tries to tell her how she feels, Nic doesn't seem to realize this and unknowingly continues to push Jules away. I'm not excusing Jules for cheating because if you make a commitment to anyone, if your word isn't good then nothing else is. However, it's understandable why she would turn to someone who did appreciate her for who she was.

I'm still baffled as to why Julianne Moore was not nominated at all for this movie. Personally I thought Jules had way more depth than Nic. If you took Jules away from the movie, then you have no story at all. I thought Moore's acting was better than Annette Bening's to be honest as well. I'm still a bit miffed that Mark Ruffalo's nomination for Best Supporting Actor took up Andrew Garfield's slot from The Social Network. However, I will admit that he was quite good in this role, different from the romantic comedy leads he usually seems to be cast in. The ending of the movie isn't 100% happy but it's very realistic.

There are several graphic sex scenes so definitely be prepared for that. Also if you are not comfortable with same sex marriages, well you probably won't be seeing this movie in the first place anyways. If you do see it, try to see it with an open mind. Because no matter who or what type of relationship you are in, the meaning is still the same.