The Kids Are All Right (2010)
The Kids Are All Right (USA) Directed by Lisa Cholodenko Written by Lisa Cholodenko; Stuart Blumberg Starring Julianne Moore; Annette Bening; Mark Ruffalo; Mia Wasikowska; Josh Hutcherson; Yaya DaCosta; Kunal Sharma; Eddie Hassell; Rebecca Lawrence
Lisa Cholodenko has made a career focusing on triangulated relationships of various kinds. One of the few gay American women making widely released films, Cholodenko (who has also worked in episodic television) has only produced three features (and one of those was a Showtime original) since her critically acclaimed 1998 debut, High Art. Here, working from a script she co-wrote (with Stuart Blumberg), she tells the story of a lesbian couple Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), their two children, Joni (Mia Wasilowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), and the introduction of the kids biological father/sperm donor Paul (Mark Ruffalo) into their lives.
The story is pleasingly narrow in nature, which allows an audience the feeling of living with the characters, though there is some small degree of torpor owing in part to the number of scenes taking place inside Jule’s and Nic’s home. Still, Cholodenko and Blumberg infuse the script with richly drawn characters, fun but realistic dialogue, and a number of humorously awkward moments that help propel us forward. Said characters are also given a breadth of complicated and sometimes conflicting traits that helps deflect some of the stiltedness of the limited locations and obviousness of some of the plotting.
Moore, Ruffalo, and Wasilowska (In Treatment; Alice in Wonderland) are the standouts here, with Moore giving the kind of relaxed, understated performance we don’t see often enough from her. With the facility to readily access a wide range of emotions, Moore is often fitted into roles that have her doing plenty of showy emoting, but here she plays an insecure woman who goes through a plethora of shaded feelings, while staying within reach of solid baseline.
Though the major plot twist is, debatably, a movie cliche, Cholodenko allows the characters their own individual arcs, making the set up more palatable. Ruffalo’s Peter Pan-like Paul stumbles upon this ready made family and becomes enchanted with the idea of being a part of their lives. Wasilowska is exceptional as a recently graduated high school senior butting up against her own perfectionism and prudishness, and both her character Joni, and half brother Laser, feel very much like real adolescents - intelligent, impressionable, reactive, frustrated, and indignant. Bening’s uptight Nic is a bit too reminiscent of her iconic role in American Beauty, though she is also effective and believable as a domineering Mom and doctor, filling the traditionally male role in the marriage.
Ruffalo too demonstrates the kind of laid back charm we saw in You Can Count on Me, reminding us why he is one of the more likable actors out there. The performance, and his character, are both deceptively simple. Restaurant owner/organic farmer Paul is a man with an affable, cool guy facade, who has been unable to commit to anyone in his life. Though that fact is highlighted by his casual relationship with the beautiful, younger Tanya (Yaya DeCosta), it isn’t harped upon further, and, as is the case with most of these characters, his behavior is not explained by relating detailed past personal history.
Despite the obvious sexual politics at work here, for most of the film we are left to decide for ourselves what we think of these people and their lives. The denouement, however, takes a sharp (albeit, to some extent, perhaps inevitable) turn, and one is left with some level of confusion about the intent. It’s difficult to pinpoint whether the end is an indictment of certain individuals, an affirmation of gay people having successful long term relationships and families, or a commentary on the frailty and humanness of people in general, but there is a level of cruelty demonstrated that seems somewhat incongruent with the rest of the film, with only a subtle, though vitally important gesture included to offset it. In the end, regardless of the message being sent, it is nice to see the portrayal of characters who behave in real ways, with both the pettiness, jealously, and selfishness, but also the generosity, kindness, and loyalty that implies.