The dramedy The Kids Are All Right is directed by Lisa Cholodenko and stars Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, and Mark Ruffalo. The film takes place in modern day California.
Joni and Laser are raised by their two mothers Jules (Moore) and Nic (Bening). Laser is curious to find out who his biological father is because his mother, Jules, used a sperm donor have him and Nic used the same sperm donor to have Joni. After calling up the agency which is in charge of that information they discover it is a man named Paul (Ruffalo) who owns a restaurant not too far away from them. The children meet with him and realize how he is a cool guy who laid back. When their moms find out that they have met with their biological father they insist on meeting him as well, and that is when the chaos starts...
The screenplay by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg was very clever, fresh, and original. All the characters and characterization was great, especially for the two mothers. They were very corky and unique, and had many great lines. Yet I thought it was odd for the son and daughter's story lines. The son's ends halfway through the film and the daughter's never really becomes completed. I did find the way everything turned out with the parents and Paul very believable though, and I'm satisfied with that conclusion. I would not be surprised if this received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay but it had no chance of winning the prize.
The direction by Lisa Cholodenko was satisfactory because in no way were the shots impressive and did not really add much to the comedic aspects of the film. It didn't really hurt the comedy of the film but with appropriate reaction shots this could have been a hilarious film. What Cholodenko did was just present the script in visual form, she did not make you look at it in a certain way. But I have to compliment her on getting the great performances from her leads.
The acting for this film was easily the strongest part, especially by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. Julianne Moore played the more laid back parent that is kind of like a hippie. She was absolutely perfect for the role and played everything wonderfully being very funny at times and very dramatic at others. She may earn an Oscar nomination for her performance but the buzz is saying that it will go to Annette Bening more so than her if only one gets chosen. Bening plays the more strict parent that keeps order in the household who is very opposed to Paul. My favorite scene was when the whole family visits Paul and she is at dinner just singing and it was quite funny. She has her nomination locked in even though she won't get the award yet again because it just wasn't Best Actress status. Mark Ruffalo is the also laid back Paul and he gives a fine performance but nothing awards worthy. Personally I don't believe Ruffalo will ever get an Oscar, maybe someday a nomination. He's not a bad actor he just is not a good enough actor to compete for an award. The kids in the film are all right but nothing special either. Yes, the pun was intended.
Overall I give this film a 7/10 because the great performances by the lead actresses and the clever writing. With the ten best picture nominations I would not be surprised to see this as one of them along with best original screenplay and hopefully two best actress nominations. I doubt it will win anything because I believe it will turn out as The Social Network taking Best Picture, either Inception or Black Swan winning Best Original Screenplay, and Natalie Portman winning Best Actress. I haven't seen Black Swan yet but Darren Aronofsky can do no wrong. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys clever comedies.
Joni and Laser are raised by their two mothers Jules (Moore) and Nic (Bening). Laser is curious to find out who his biological father is because his mother, Jules, used a sperm donor have him and Nic used the same sperm donor to have Joni. After calling up the agency which is in charge of that information they discover it is a man named Paul (Ruffalo) who owns a restaurant not too far away from them. The children meet with him and realize how he is a cool guy who laid back. When their moms find out that they have met with their biological father they insist on meeting him as well, and that is when the chaos starts...
The screenplay by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg was very clever, fresh, and original. All the characters and characterization was great, especially for the two mothers. They were very corky and unique, and had many great lines. Yet I thought it was odd for the son and daughter's story lines. The son's ends halfway through the film and the daughter's never really becomes completed. I did find the way everything turned out with the parents and Paul very believable though, and I'm satisfied with that conclusion. I would not be surprised if this received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay but it had no chance of winning the prize.
The direction by Lisa Cholodenko was satisfactory because in no way were the shots impressive and did not really add much to the comedic aspects of the film. It didn't really hurt the comedy of the film but with appropriate reaction shots this could have been a hilarious film. What Cholodenko did was just present the script in visual form, she did not make you look at it in a certain way. But I have to compliment her on getting the great performances from her leads.
The acting for this film was easily the strongest part, especially by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. Julianne Moore played the more laid back parent that is kind of like a hippie. She was absolutely perfect for the role and played everything wonderfully being very funny at times and very dramatic at others. She may earn an Oscar nomination for her performance but the buzz is saying that it will go to Annette Bening more so than her if only one gets chosen. Bening plays the more strict parent that keeps order in the household who is very opposed to Paul. My favorite scene was when the whole family visits Paul and she is at dinner just singing and it was quite funny. She has her nomination locked in even though she won't get the award yet again because it just wasn't Best Actress status. Mark Ruffalo is the also laid back Paul and he gives a fine performance but nothing awards worthy. Personally I don't believe Ruffalo will ever get an Oscar, maybe someday a nomination. He's not a bad actor he just is not a good enough actor to compete for an award. The kids in the film are all right but nothing special either. Yes, the pun was intended.
Overall I give this film a 7/10 because the great performances by the lead actresses and the clever writing. With the ten best picture nominations I would not be surprised to see this as one of them along with best original screenplay and hopefully two best actress nominations. I doubt it will win anything because I believe it will turn out as The Social Network taking Best Picture, either Inception or Black Swan winning Best Original Screenplay, and Natalie Portman winning Best Actress. I haven't seen Black Swan yet but Darren Aronofsky can do no wrong. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys clever comedies.