Review: The Kids are All Right

Grade: B+

Nic and Jules are a happily married lesbian couple who had two children through artificial insemination. They all live as a very happy family in California. However, one day their children, Joni and Laser, become very curious and decide to find the man who donated the sperm. They find the man, Paul, who is an organic farmer in California. The two children begin to form a bond with the man which raises complications within the family. Nic is untrusting of Paul and feels uncomfortable with her children forming a bond with him and Jules begins to work with him and the two form an interesting relationship.

The Kids are All Right is a very interesting drama with some interesting insight into this type of family dynamic. The movie is very well written and the characters are great. It was an interesting look into this type of dynamic where you have two kids who are the product of artificial insemination who want to find the donor and then what happens after they do. It is very interesting and it has some rather amusing and sometimes funny moments. However, there are some aspects of the movie that really seem out of place. The biggest one is the relationship formed between Paul and Jules, it just didn’t make much sense to me. I still can’t believe that this movie was in the Best Comedy category at the Golden Globes, it has some funny moments but it is far from a comedy.

Annette Bening (Running with Scissors, American Beauty) plays Nic. Bening did a great job with this role and did a fantastic job portraying the different sides of the character. Julianne Moore (A Single Man, Children of Men) plays the role of Jules. Moore is fantastic in this movie and really does a great job. Again, I don’t understand her characters actions sometimes but her performance is great. Mark Ruffalo (The Brother’s Bloom, Zodiac) plays the role of Paul. He was definitely one of the better parts of the movie. His character is pretty interesting, and somewhat clueless at times, and Ruffalo does a really great job with this role and makes this movie what it is. The movie also features performances by Mia Wasikoska, Josh Hutcherson and more.

The Kids are All Right is a very well written movie and is definitely worth watching. It is obvious to me why it is nominated for the awards that it is. It has a lot of heart and some great performances in it and it tackles a very interesting subject line.