MOVIE REVIEW: The Kids Are All Right (2010)

The American "modern family"; the phrase has become the politically correct term in our contemporary lexicon for any family that defies standard preconceptions of a nuclear family. In this case, the "modern family" is helmed by a lesbian couple. I found it interesting how the back cover of the DVD for The Kids Are All Right so blatantly used the phrase in lieu of explicitly mentioning "lesbians" or "homosexuals", but it's nevertheless refreshing to see LGBT culture gaining more and more presence into the mainstream. This easily could have been a film about a heterosexual couple under similar circumstances; the fact that it isn't and the manner in which the couple are portrayed makes Kids believably grounded in it's realism. Oh, and the film also happens to be very good, too.

Nic, a doctor, and her partner Jules, an entrepreneur specializing in landscape architecture, are parents of two children, Laser and Joni. Both children were fathered by an anonymous sperm donor. As the children come of age, the teenaged Laser and Joni decide to set out and identify their biological father. After doing some research, they find out he is Paul, the proprieter of a Southern California organic foods restaurant. When the children bring Paul home to meet their mothers, personalities clash as the free-spirited Paul and Jules connect with their newfound appreciation for their children's interest in bringing together the distantly-tied family, while Nic feels unease about the new developments.

What impressed me most about Kids was the complexity of the way in which relationships are dealt with in the story. Granted, things are complicated enough when the family has to assess their present status once Paul is in the picture, but it makes for really interesting dynamics between everyone. Among the themes presented in the film, also include (believe it or not) adultery. Now, while I won't spoil who does what to whom, I will say the manner in which the problem is handled is done in one of the most honest and frank confessions I've ever seen in a film. The acting is also very good, I don't have to go too in-depth on everyone's performances, but I think they are serviced quite nicely by Lisa Chodolenko's sharp screenplay. She comes off like a more adult version of Diablo Cody; both are incredibly hip, but Chodolenko has much more dramatic restraint and her characters have amazing nuance. While I wish the final conflict towards the end was resolved a little more succinctly (rather than seemingly leaving one of the main characters out to dry), I can see why Chodolenko might have made this choice, even if I don't agree with it. Kids was definitely deserving of the accolades it had received last year, and I'm glad to have finally seen it.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon