THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010)

 

 The kids are alright (2010)

Genre: Drama, family, comedy

Director: Lisa Cholodenko

Writers: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg

Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo

My score 3.5/5

There was this ‘Brokeback mountain’ back in the day and just about when it started to cool off here comes ‘The kids are alright’. My intention was not to compare these two movies but just coz they somewhat look and feel familiar.

‘The kids are alright’ is a warm movie. If its action I’d say stunning and if it’s something like Avatar I’d say amazing. And when it drama and comedy and its good as ‘The kids are alright’ I’d simply say wonderful.

The story is pretty ‘straight’ even though the theme is not. Two woman who are happily married and having an unconventional family with two young kids (by artificial insemination), struggle though day to day difficulties and kids issues when a stranger is introduced in to them. After years they really get to know their sperm donor and the kids and mothers starts to build up a connection with him. Yet how perfect it can be this new visitor creates complications in the family and leaves it off balance. And the mothers finds it challenging to cope up with this complications while trying to care for their children at best.

The couple Nic (Annette Bening- American beauty) and Jules (Julianne Moore- Children of Men, Blindness) seems to have a good chemistry between them but just as in any family one feels the other to be a little over protective and controlling. This one reason where Jules find the sperm Donor guy Paul (Mark Ruffalo- Shutter Island, Just like heaven) to be her get away from the blues and he and the kids get caught up in awkward situations because of that.

There is nothing much complicated about the plot and its neat and well-constructed. Not having much experiences of truly knowing such unconventional families, what the story creates for the audience is wonderful. If you may not really try to understand the social impact of such families and their true nature you may not totally grab the true potential of the whole movie.

The performances is no doubt well done. The cast fits and the characters has their story well told. If a drama fails at that the movie definitely doesn’t make much sense.

On the whole ‘The kids are alright’ deliver something more than a normal family drama. There is no violence and there is no steaming sex either. But there is enough drama and feelings to keep the movie bound together without wondering about. 

 It’s not a good movie just because it was nominated for 4 Oscars and already won Golden Globes Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category, but because it’s interesting, new and lovable.