Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, The Kids are All Right is one of the best films of the year, and a sweet gem in an otherwise dour summer season. It works so well thanks to the realistic and well-developed screenplay, which stays true to life and almost never veers into convention. All of the actors are at the top of their game and by the end I cared about all of them deeply. Annette Bening is the best of the ensemble, making Nic both high-strung and tender - afraid to let her guard down until the very end. Julianne Moore is a delight as the breezier Jules, and both of the actresses make the pairing feel very believable. Mark Ruffalo delivers one of his strongest performances as a character that could have easily gone a different route - by the end I sympathized with his plight as much as the two leads. Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson are both incredibly strong as well and steal the film at certain points. The film works so well because it plays on so many different levels, ultimately containing messages about family and relationships that will stay with you long after you leave the theater. A must see. A

It's good but don't expect a lot of stuff to be happening. A lot of it is subtle and some of it kinda messed up sprinkled with a lot of heart-warming scenese so you kinda don't leave the theater all pumped or feeling like you just saw little miss sunshine. but it's definitely good. Bening is spectacular. And Laser is such a cutie.

B+

How does this already have a D and two F's?

I voted F because lesbians

Messed up? That's the first I'm hearing that about this movie. I sure hope not. I don't want it to leave a sour taste in my mouth.

^it's masked by humor

Much more than just alright, The Kids Are All Right is an exquisite film brimming with authenticity and heart. This film works primarily because all of us can recognize the family dynamics that it portrays. It doesn't matter that Nic and Jules are a lesbian couple; the conversations between parents and children, the lived-in relationships between the family members, and above all, the love...we can see ourselves in these characters. Our relationships with our families are messy and complicated, and this film captures the universality of all of that. While the plot had the potential to feel like a sitcom in the wrong hands, director Lisa Cholodenko constantly grounds the film in reality. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are both sublime. The wonderfully expressive Bening brings out her character's edge, while Moore actually gets to have some fun in a movie for once. Mark Ruffalo is also very good in a difficult role; the character of Paul is laid-back and endearing, but the script makes his actions and intentions less chivalrous than they could be (and, thus, like a real human being). Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson are both excellent with their unforced portrayals, continuing to establish themselves as young talents to watch. See it with your family...you probably have more in common with these characters than you might think. A

Gosh, darn it! I done liked this one...

What a sweet ROM-COM of the rarest sort!

First, the ROM features two older married lesbians, which you don't really see near enough of in the cinema, even today. The fact that this couple is played by the incomparable (Acting Goddess) Julian Moore and equally incomparable (in her own special way) Annette Bening is simply farm fresh delicious! And even though "the third man on" was played by my least favorite actor, Mark RuffRuffRuffalo (BOW WOW), he turned out to be so fabulously right for this particular role that I have personally absolved him of all his past acting sins.

Second, the COM features a giddy kind of controlled high farce we rarely see these days in the cinema. The comedic talent of all involved is to be praised! The Kids Are All Right is so laugh out loud funny at certain points, that the audience I saw it with actually rollicked.

Plus super mega bonus points for the use of the word fecund in a comedic context! (Why are so many writers afraid of words these days?)

Yep, I really enjoyed watching The Kids Are All Right tonight, nice.


23 out of 5.

Fail.

What is a movie about homosexuality without gay porn afterall.

I'm a fan of MGMT, but you do not end a film with an MGMT song. And the font used in the end credits? UGLY.

F

No, this was wonderful. Perhaps the most entertaining film I have seen in 2010. It's so exuberant, honest, and...warm, yet not without moments of heartstring-tugging sadness. Bening, Moore, Ruffalo, and Wasikowska deliver brilliant performances. Oh, and Josh Hutcherson is decent, too. Bening could very well win her first Oscar for this performance. So many moments seal and re-seal the deal--emphasis on her return to the dinner table after the infidelity "realization" and her subsequent doorway confrontation with Ruffalo.

A-

No offense, but fuck you, man.

yeah if only they were more like U2

You disgust me.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT - 9/10 (A)

Oh how I adored this film. I loved watching the interactions between Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) and the give and take of their relationship. I loved how they were flawed and had problems just like any couple. A recent article in Entertainment Weekly about this film mentioned it's so rare to see marriage portrayed so honestly on screen like it is in this movie, and I wholeheartedly agree. I felt like I was watching a real couple. Bening and Moore made these roles feel lived in. It doesn't matter that this is a same-sex couple. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship, especially a marriage, will be able to relate to the everyday ins and outs. This film has a lot to say about marriage and family, and it's refreshing that the fact this is a lesbian couple isn't even made to be an issue.

The performances are great from everyone, but the standout here by far is Annette Bening. My what a performance! If she doesn't get an Oscar nomination for her performance here I'll be pissed. She's hard to take your eyes off of. I loved her performance and her character. There are a couple of real heartbreaking moments where I honestly felt like I could feel what she was feeling. She IS the character of Nic. It never felt like she was acting. Not a moment rings false. This movie could have easily ended up being farcical, but with such an ace cast it ended up being a real delight.

It's become such a cliché to say this, but "The Kids Are All Right" is more than alright. It's a funny, smart, well-acted comedy thats biggest asset is its huge heart. Sure to be one of my favorites this year. I left the theater with a feeling of warmth and a smile on my face.

"I need your observations like I need a dick in my ass" is going to be one of my favorite lines of the year.

And I loved when Nic told Paul, "If you want a family so bad go out and get your own. This is my family."

I did feel bad for Paul, though.

I didn't. Mark Ruffalo was great, but I didn't care for his character when he had an affair with Moore. He was completely in the wrong. He may have donated sperm, but this was NOT his family. If he wanted to have some kind of relationship with the kids, fine, but from the first day he met Nic and Jules he was digging on Jules and his intentions weren't honorable. He tried to split them up for his own selfish reasons. This couple who had been together for 20 years and had a family for 18. He wasn't the one who raised them and was there all of those years. And it was such a joke when he told Jules to pack up the kids and leave her for him. Maybe he wanted a family, but you don't steal someone else's. I was happy the kids shunned him after the affair was out in the open. They realized they didn't need him in their life. All the family they needed they already had. Bringing him into the equation just caused trouble. But they met him and got it out of their system. And Paul will be fine. He'll find someone and have his own family. Though I really didn't care what happened to him. He messed up big time and had to face the consequences. He ended up being a bit of a creep. And I also hated Jules during the affair. Especially when Nic was trying to make an effort, like cutting back on drinking so much wine and trying to give Paul a chance.

You're being too hard on him.

Yes, he is flawed, but so are Nic and Jules. It's clear he's alarmed/intrigued/moved by the fact he "has" two children. I see him as a decent, but sad person who has been denying certain desires ("settling down," legacy) and isn't sure how to react when those desires are, in a sense, realized. So he gets in too deep--with Jules' help and, by extension, Nic's, since the affair is partly caused by Nic's aura of alpha-confidence and at times cold dismissiveness.

Anyone who has ever been the third wheel, if you will, in a relationship dynamic should be able to relate to Paul and where he ends up. He wasn't malevolent; he just fucked up.

The fact Joni brings his gardening hat to college with her, IMO, suggests she will forgive Paul (as she forgives her mother) and contact him again. I hope so.

Josh Hutcherson has been answering fan questions on the film's Facebook page (he even thanked us in a video ) and I thought this one may be of interest for people who have seen it (**********SPOILERS************):





Q from Eric Elias Perez: Do you think that Laser and Joni ever forgive Paul and resume contact with him? How probable would forgiveness be if you were in a similar situation, or what do you think would be the end result for their relationship status with Paul if the movie had continued or if there was a sequel? When I watched the movie, I felt that the bond Laser and Joni developed with Paul was something that would last. Now, I can't help but wonder what happens next.
A from Josh Hutcherson: I do think that Laser and Joni eventually have a relationship with Paul. I think when something that traumatizing happens to a family it’s hard to bounce back. Trust is something that is earned and when someone does something that makes you lose that it’s a long process for that person to regain your trust. For me, I know that it would be really hard, because like Laser I’m very close to my family and something like that would be hard to deal with but it’s hard to judge because it’s his own biological father that does this.

Laser is the most ridiculous name ever. Did they think he was gonna be a German Shepherd or something?

But the movie is quite good. A lot funnier than I was expecting.

All is fair in love and war.

(That is why picking your allies carefully is of the utmost importance.)