Parents make life hard, no matter what packaging they come in. “The Kids Are Alright” is a perfect simulation of what parents do to make life both dysfunctional and loveable.
The Academy Award-nominated picture is a tale of two children conceived by a lesbian couple, with the help of artificial insemination.
Curiosity takes over the 18 year-old sister and 15 year-old brother and they seek out their birth father, which causes turmoil for their modern-day family.
The controversial hit stars Julianne Moore (“The Big Lebowski”), who played a laid-back hippie type, and Annette Bening (“American Beauty”), who played her complete opposite: an uptight worker bee with a condescending attitude toward people who aren’t like her. The father of the two siblings is played by Mark Ruffalo (“13 Going On 30”), who gave a stunning performance for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
The children he fathered were played by Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”) and
Josh Hutcherson (“Bridge to Teribithia”) who lend their talents to create a real, raw tale of how a wounded family can grow through life’s confusion and disorder.
The performance by this all-star cast offers a window into life in current times and exposes the fact that flaws in both marriage and parent-child interaction exist in every family, no matter who it consists of.
Bening, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Moore, shine on the screen as a polar-opposite couple. Ruffulo portrays a playboy who is soft-spoken, scruffy and sweet, as he always is on the big screen.
Director and writer Lisa Cholodenko, who has worked on films dealing with other controversial issues such as “The L Word,” worked with the actors to create a fine piece for which she received the nomination for Best Writing and Original Screenplay.
“The Kids Are Alright” is a story for anyone interested in learning a life lesson or two about understanding our parents, why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do.
After a peek into this family’s life, I was crossing my fingers for more, hoping for more tales of what this less-than-ordinary circle of relatives could get themselves into.
Though it is under the category of “comedy,” I’d say it’s more of a “dramedy” with its complexity and filled with raw, human emotion. The plot twists weren’t the only thing that had my attention. The shear talent from the ensemble could please any movie-goer interested in a heart-warming story.
This motion picture will make you laugh, tear up and leave you begging for more. The bottom line is this film was a fantastic reiteration that you can’t pick your family, but that can be pretty amazing.