The Kids Are All Right

Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, Yaya DaCosta
Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2010
Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A lesbian couple (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore) are surprised when their two kids (Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) track down their sperm donor birth father (Mark Ruffalo). As he entered their lives, he disrupts their peaceful existence.

Review:

Tim: The Kids Are All Right is one of those small, independent movies whose performances are better than the actual movie itself. And yet, in this case, the movie is pretty solid as well. I like the film's bold, realistic portrayal of a modern, unconventional family. Family is very often messy, confusing, frustrating, and worse. This film shows all that, but it also displays the heartwarming comfort and unconditional love that comes with family as well. Those are some of the film's strongest aspects.

As you might expect, this movie works because the performances of the cast are impressive. Annette Bening is receiving a great deal of acclaim for her role, and it is deserved. She is very good in the role, and has a wide range of emotions, which she displays effectively. She's believable and entertaining in the role. And yet, I can't believe that she deserves the Academy Award she's waited so long to achieve. I think her performance here is completely overshadowed by Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Bening is good, but this isn't close to her best performance.

Julianne Moore was very good as well. I actually thought she might have been better than Bening. Bening has the meatier role, but Moore is stunning in quiet, small ways. She gives a memorable, fun, and emotionally deep performance. She worked well with Bening, and was exceptional with Ruffalo. Mark Ruffalo also gives a very good performance. While he is occasionally uneven in his performance, more often than not, he's strong. Ruffalo has become increasingly amazing as an actor, and he gives another solid performance here. He'll mostly be overlooked at the year end awards, but he deserves acclaim for his role.

I really liked Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson as the two kids. They both gave mature, entertaining performances. Wasikowska has had a big year, and it's probably a star-making year also. I wasn't a huge fan of Josh Hutcherson in Journey to the Center of the Earth, but he completely changed my mind here. He is a talented young man, and I expect great things from him in the future. I very much believed his performance here.

While I very much enjoyed getting to know these characters and watching as they struggled with the humorous but difficult issues in their life, I didn't love this movie. I really enjoyed the film, but I did not love it. I thought the movie's ending was surprisingly unsatisfactory. I know it was intentional, but I thought it could have been more powerful. The movie builds up the emotion, but just peters out at the end. I was disappointed in how the film concluded. The storylines didn't feel resolved, and it left me wanting more.

The film was entertaining and interested, but I never really felt riveted. I started to lose focus about 2/3 of the way through, as the movie meanders a bit before reaching its unsatisfying conclusion.

I thought Lisa Cholodenko did a decent job as director, but could have done better. There were some sloppy scenes, some too-quick cuts that made the film feel a bit choppy. I thought the actors did a fantastic job of showing emotion, but Cholodenko could have done a better job of capturing that emotion. The movie kept me at a distance, observing these characters, never really letting me in to be there with them.

The Kids Are All Right is a solid, entertaining, funny movie. It is memorable and emotional. The main reason to see the film is that nearly every member of the cast gives a strong, impressive performance. The film itself is very good, but it never really gets better than that. It left me wanting more, even though I admit it gave so much. I enjoyed this movie, but I wouldn't consider it one of 2010's best.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Little Miss Sunshine, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Alice in Wonderland, American Beauty, Blindness, Far From Heaven