Film Reviews

The Kids Are All Right

• Rating:
• Director: Lisa Cholodenko
• Starring: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
• Details: US/105mins 16

Riding on a wave of pretty much unanimously positive reviews, and serious Oscar buzz, this quirky, funny and well-acted movie may not scale the character driven heights that other scribes have claimed, but is engaging watching nonetheless. Giving Bening and Moore their best material in years, while offering further proof that Mark Ruffalo can pretty much make any character likeable, fans of the similarly quirky US show Mordern Family should find plenty to enjoy here. Centering on a happily unconventional family of four, where two lesbian parents - Bening and Moore - have both given birth to siblings using the same sperm donor; things become complicated when the kids, now 15 and 18, decide they want to meet their biological father. When said father turns out to be bohemian hipster, Mark Ruffalo, a relationship develops between all members of the family - except for Bennings' threatened doctor. Initially worried about the kids connecting with a man she doesn't know, she finds she has more to worry about when her partner begins working for him - but only charging for the gardening. Once again portraying an modern, happy, but left of norm family dynamic, one of the most impressive things about Lisa Cholodenko's characters is that they all feel like living, breathing people; the fact that some of them are gay is neither here nor there. It also examines the strain that appears in any marriage or relationship after a period of time deftly, with realism and heart. The titular kids are played with aplomb by talented youngsters, Wasikowska and Hutcherson, who handle the dramatic and lighter moments equally as impressively. Where it fails, slightly, is in its depiction of Ruffalo's rugged organic farmer, who seems to start a relationship with Moore's character for little reason other than she wears a thong quite well. Sure, he wants a ready-made family too, and that is mildly addressed, but would he really be that naive? Regardless, the always amiable Ruffalo is his charming self, catching you off gaurd whenever he acts like a complete tool. You really want to like this guy, but that is more thanks to his performance than the writing. There are a lot of things here to admire, it's just not the amazing indie flick some would have you believe.

Review by Mike Sheridan