What we have here is that increasingly rare type of movie that trusts its actors to flesh out its characters properly. The script, penned by Stuart Blumberg and director Lisa Cholodenko, doesn’t see the need to spell out every one of these people’s motivations in dialogue because, after all, life isn’t like that. Thankfully, the cast is top-notch—established veterans Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo join promising newcomers Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia)—and the result is a film that tells us more about people than any other so far this year.
You wouldn’t think I’d be saying that about an agenda film, much less a progressive agenda film I’m keen to disagree with. The reason I’m extolling such praise is because The Kids Are All Right, quite simply, is not an agenda film despite its subject matter and its Hollywood funding. While I’m sure the movement to defeat Prop 8, fresh off its victory in a California court, would love to make the case that the years-long relationship between Moore’s Jules and Bening’s Nic makes a good case for gay marriage, they’re ignoring the point.
The movie itself simply exists and lets the viewer make his own decisions, to the point at which politics are a non-issue. Yes, it was made by progressives on a progressive topic, but it focuses on ideas that all viewers can relate to (family, relationships) and not more alienating ones. In a less authentic movie, a skeptic might even have reason to question the statement being made by characters driving a Prius. But here, it’s quite clear that hip and educated Los Angeles teens like Wasikowska’s Joni and Hutcherson’s Laser would naturally be sporting the popular hybrid. Just as organic, surprisingly, is Cholodenko’s graphic depiction (still clearly censored for the MPAA) of not only female, but male gay sex.
Now down to what matters, the nitty-gritty of this terrific story and its characters. Teenagers Joni and Laser have grown up under the roof of their loving, but very different moms. Nic is the disciplinarian – a control-freak who makes sure everything’s in order when she gets home from working long shifts as a doctor. Jules, on the other hand, mostly stays at home with the kids and floats from one flimsy small-business idea to the next; this time, it’s landscaping.
Matters complicate and pre-existing frictions are unleashed, however, when now 18-year-old Joni, at underage Laser’s request, seeks to meet their sperm-donor. (Jules and Nic each pooled from the same man’s genes to conceive the kids.) After a few phone calls, the teens—unbeknownst to their parents, who would flip if they found out—find themselves meeting Ruffalo’s lackadaisical, motorcycle riding Paul for an awkward, locally-grown meal. (He’s a gardener and aspiring restaurateur.) Next, after Laser spills the beans to Jules and Nic, the whole family meets Paul in just as awkward a fashion. Shortly thereafter, we realize Nic may be an alcoholic, Jules and Paul have started to have sex, and the kids are feeling smothered by these less-“all right” adults. Chaotic, yes, but doesn’t the American family endure?
This is not exactly a groundbreaking story by itself—we’ve seen heterosexual variants of it a million times before—but it becomes one thanks to the actors. While Cholodenko enriches the film with drama, the performances are complex enough that they’d remain just as believable if the movie were a verite-style mock-doc. Contrary to what progressives might suggest for political gain in the heat of an argument, lesbian relationships are certainly not “just like” straight ones. They, of course, come with their own distinct characteristics because of the unique sensibilities of women. This fact makes the work of Moore and Bening, two straight actresses, all the more remarkable in that they capture this foreign dynamic in performances that feel effortless and natural. Certainly, they had the—ermmm—first-hand knowledge of Cholodenko in their director, but the relationship the two capture is nonetheless remarkably fresh and authentic. This is important, because when their partnership is flung into crisis-mode due to Jules’ infidelity, the experience takes on a visceral power that it would not have achieved without a strong baseline.
Consider also the fact that simply showing what is—or, most pessimistically, once was—a stable lesbian relationship functions as something far more powerful and dare I say progressive than anything more inherently political would have. As one who is somewhat isolated in the California bubble of acceptance, I must remember that The Kids Are All Right has come out at a time when a large population of Americans still don’t accept the gay lifestyle in general. While it’s safe to say the bulk of this population won’t be seeing it, Cholodenko’s film functions as a desirably progressive, even informative cultural text in this regard. Yes, Jules and Nic certainly aren’t an ideal example of relationship health—in fact, one of the kids even observes that their “perfect gay image” is tarnished in the third act—but it’s impossible to invalidate their accomplishments as a couple.
But I realize it’s a shame that properly reviewing this complex picture requires reducing it to the gay element. Just as integral to the movie’s success are Joni and Laser, excellently played by Wasikowska and Hutcherson, and their interactions with Paul. From the teens’ first strained attempts to figure out exactly what it is they’re searching for in their biological father to the ensuing heartbreak when he causes the family turmoil, Wasikowska and Hutcherson capture their characters so realistically it was almost uncomfortable for someone so close in age as myself to watch. And yet, Joni and Laser are clearly pliable, as any healthy member of their age-group is. Ruffalo plays no small part in the success of these two as characters; he refrains from ever succumbing to “lovable loser” status and plays all Paul’s flaws for what they are. Even if The Kids Are All Right doesn’t get everything right—though I might argue it does—one certainly cannot fault its pitch-perfect human element.
Raw and observant, The Kids Are All Right stands as one of the few semi-big budget American indies (and certainly Sundance entries) that doesn’t rely on “quirky” situations or ridiculous character eccentricities to move the plot along. Instead, the audience is provided a journey in the company of rich characters experiencing life as it comes – all that a movie should be and more.
* * *
The Kids Are All Right (2010, USA). Produced by Charles E. Bush Jr., Gary Gilbert, J. Todd Harris, Jordan Horowitz, Neil Katz, Todd J. Labarowski, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Riva Marker, Camille Moreau, Joel Newton, Anne O'Shea, Celine Rattray, Laura Rosenthal, Andy Sawyer, Steven Saxton, Christy Scott Cashman, Ron Stein, Bergen Swanson, and Daniela Taplin Lundberg. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko. Written for the screen by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg. Starring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and Mark Ruffalo. Distributed by Focus Features. Rated R, with a running time of 106 minutes.
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