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Rating:
Excellent reception at the 60th Berlinale and Sundance Film Festival, as well as 4 Oscar nominations. The intriguing title finally convinced me to watch "The Kids Are All Right," a 2010 film directed by Lisa Cholodenko primarily known for her work in television.
Jules and Nic (respectively Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) are two lesbians living together with their two children Joni and Laser, conceived through artificial insemination. Despite the unique nature of their family, life seems to go on smoothly until the day when the two children decide to meet Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the sperm donor. Curiosity soon turns into affection, and a mutual friendship develops between the two kids and Paul.
Cholodenko directs this film with a clear comedic tone, although in the end, dramatic comedy is the most suitable genre. There are well-constructed and amusing scenes, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. The film veers too much towards a "simplistic" narrative without delving into the interesting thematic relationships concerning homosexuality and without providing a clear psychological characterization for all the protagonists, particularly Paul and Laser who seem like mere figures placed there for convenience.
Overall, the film flows quite well, neither slow nor boring, thanks to directorial choices that fill the story with "subplots" (like the all-too-predictable one about infidelity), and thus Cholodenko's film does earn a pass. Particularly interesting is the conceptual contrast between being half a classic American family comedy (in this case revisited) and an independent film for its somewhat snobbish and unconventional air. These characteristics give Cholodenko's work a unique twist which, along with the strong performances by Bening and Moore (the former in particular), results in an enjoyable film but certainly not deserving of all the attention it received.
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