The Kidd Vs. The Kids Are All Right
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is a difficult film to review at times. It’s funny without being a full-fledged comedy. It’s serious without being a complete drama. The film falls somewhere in the middle, but what makes it really good is its genuine authenticity. It doesn’t rely on hijinks or shenanigans to get laughs, and it doesn’t pull out some preposterous melodrama when it wants to shift gears. The strength of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is that you completely accept that these characters could truly exist, and would react much as they do if the events that transpired throughout the film were real. This is how people talk, how they act, how they behave, and how they feel, and, because of that, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT feels more like you’re peering into the window of a complex family and the issues they’ve created for themselves than it does that you’re watching someone else’s imaginative creation unfolding. It doesn’t feel far-fetched or contrived, and, as a result, you can lose yourself in this world, getting to know these characters, and it makes for an enjoyable time at the movies.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is centered around a lesbian couple – Nic (Annette Bening), an extremely tight, high-strung doctor, who tries her best to keep a firm grasp of control on the family at all times, and Jules (Julianne Moore) a free-wheeling, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants woman, who refuses to settle on one career, constantly chasing a new dream or idea every few years. They both elected to birth a child, using the same sperm donor. However, when their kids Laser (Josh Hutcherson) and Joni (ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s Mia Wasikowska) get older and more curious about who their biological father is, they take it upon themselves, unbeknownst to their moms, to place a call to the agency and reach out to their donor, who turns out to be Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a free spirited restaurant owner, who loves the single life and the freedom that comes with it.
From their initial meeting, there’s a high level of awkwardness and unfamiliarity between Joni, Laser, and Paul, as to be expected, but, in her last summer before heading off to school, Joni feels the need to get to know this strange man better, and that desire is contagiously spread throughout the rest of the famil, with the exception of Nic, who is wary of this interaction from the start. Paul is the father figure that neither of these children have had in their lives, and, as a result, he pushes the limits of each member of this family, as they’re put in the position to have a complete outsider quickly become a part of their regular life.
Joni is able to learn to push back against her parents, to demand her own space as a growing woman and as an adult. She is introduced a little late to the idea of teenage rebellion, that it’s her time to make her own mark on the world, and, regardless of what both of her moms may want for her, it is up to her to choose the path she wants in life. Mia Wasikowska shows a great deal of improvement from her statuesque performance in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where she needed no charisma or personality, and the movie suffered as a whole. Here, she is required to be far more assertive and forthcoming, and, because of the shift in characters from someone so boring and wooden to someone much more full of life, Wasikowska really commands the screen when she is involved, which is a true accomplishment when you consider the acting talent she shares the film with.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Josh Hutcherson, whose Laser is the most underwritten and unrealized character in the entire film. Hutcherson never really feels a part of anything that’s going on in the film, and, even with a moment or two to glimpse what could develop into an interesting father/son bond between Paul and Laser, it comes across as an afterthought. Hutcherson never really adds anything of substance to the film, and only serves as a plot device to push this family into its contact with Paul. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT might actually be a smoother and better off film without Hutcherson involved, because Laser constantly feels like the odd man out. This is a family that really only needed 1 child, but instead we’re stuck with 2.
Bening and Moore give their usual fantastic performances, with each making up a polar opposite of their partnership. Moore has the complicated task of playing a woman who feels unappreciated by her partner, and is driven into the arms of another, even if he is a heterosexual man, whereas Bening spins from the uptight control freak into someone who has less control than she thinks over her life and the lives of everyone else. Both actresses have to deal with different sides of infidelity, and, because of how THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is structured, we get to see the damage such a lustful mistake has upon everyone at the same time. Moore may be more in the spotlight due to her actions driving the continuing conflict, but it’s Bening who carries the heaviest weight, having to portray the woman whose life is in a constant state of crumbling since Paul’s appearance. Both offer up good work, and their chemistry as a couple, from their propensity for sitting around on the couch watching LOCKED UP IN UGANDA on the National Geographic Channel to their bickering arguments, is what helps THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT come together. Without credible parents, there’d be a huge gaping hole in the middle of the film, but Bening and Moore provide a clear central point for everything else in the film to orbit.
Paul is your typical understated Ruffalo role. It’s very under the radar, but Ruffalo really embraces the various parts he has to play – as a new father, as a lover, as an intruder. But it’s Paul on his own, as that free spirit learning what he truly wants in life when he gets to experience it, namely a family of his own, stability, a long-term relationship that lasts more than one night, where Ruffalo truly works best. It’s a shame that his conclusion is left dangling in the wind, with no definite resolution to his story, but that’s where the realism of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT comes into play yet again. This isn’t about wrapping up every character’s thread into a nice package with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There is more to this story than we get to see, because life goes on, and as observers, we get to come in and out, only to observe a small window in the lives of these individuals. Perhaps Nic and Jules will be able to get beyond their marriage troubles. Perhaps they seek counseling, or maybe separate down the line. Who knows what Laser will decide to make of himself? Joni has an entire college career ahead of her… or maybe higher learning isn’t for her. There are so many ways THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT could possibly continue, and we leave before it’s time to realize those potential strands of the future. That isn’t a knock on the film, but a strength, as it adds to the authenticity of the film.
Director Lisa Cholodenko doesn’t have to make THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT at all visually interesting, because it’s the performances that make the film as delightful as it is. She is able to capture talented actors and actresses doing excellent work, and blend it all together to make a fine film about the trials and tribulations about a family that gets shaken up when they introduce an outside element into their normal routine.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT creates interesting and lifelike characters that hold your interest throughout the film’s duration, and, while the movie drags a bit towards the end, due to the slightly long 134-minute running time, the overall package results in a worthwhile view into the lives of this unconventional family. The dialogue is real. The situations are real, and, in the end, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT provides a story that feels real, and that’s where The Kidd really found enjoyment here – in my ability to understand these characters, their motivations, and their directions in life. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is definitely a film to check out, because it never dumbs itself down at all to get a cheap laugh or provoke cheap tears. This film is the genuine article, and, because of that, makes for a fine watch.
Loading ...