The Kids Are All Right (DVD)

I love this movie and find it completely unfair to say that this is all about sex -- the fact that the other reviewer made a point of emphasizing that the characters and skin flick in question are gay makes me more than a little suspicious of the reviewer's biases. It's a relationship movie. Yes, there's sex involved. That's because romantic relationships usually involve sex. It's not hard to see past it to the other emotional content.

This movie is a beautiful story about a family that finds themselves in a social crisis at a difficult point in their lives. The kids are played realistically with a well-observed combination of independence and neediness that feels really authentic. The moms are just as good - really touching in spots and hilarious at other times; both have weaknesses that the other tries to work through and the conflict between them feels really true to life.

The movie's primarily about transitions - in the moms' relationship, and in the kids' lives (college, sperm dad, etc.). Mark Ruffalo's character comes off as a real tool and I, at least, have definitely met people like him and enjoyed seeing the way his interaction with the family plays out. There are a lot of short snippets that give really great insight into the characters without having to explain too much. It's set in California and I loved the moments where there are peeks of the characters' super-granola side (in other words, the times when they're so typically west coast liberal it's funny).

I can see a lot of different people digging this movie - older teens can relate from the kids' perspective and parents would recognize a lot of the difficult and moving moments. Overall, highs and lows, a good rhythm, good acting, well written - if you like dramas, are in your twenties or older and want a good quiet date movie, or are older and into something that'll tweak someheart strings, this is a good choice.

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko
Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
106 minutes

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use.

***Minor spoilers within***

Nominated for best picture and best screenplay, as well as supporting actress (Bening) and supporting actor (Ruffalo), the Kids Are All Right was less than spectacular.

It's not that any of the actors performed poorly; they were all good. Nobody stood out though. The story itself was pretty standard fare with nothing to distinguish it from the pack.

I didn't find myself laughing or emotionally moved, apart from one scene when Bening was talking about music. As someone who understands why music is hugely important in my life, I connected with what she was saying and portraying.

The story revolves around a family which has two mothers (Bening and Moore). When their biological father (Ruffalo) is contacted by one of the two kids, he starts to become involved in their lives.

It's a puzzle to me how this is among the 10 best picture nominees. It's slightly above average with decent acting. The story is nothing special. I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat hoping for something and I never felt connected with the characters apart from the scene I mentioned earlier.

Worth seeing, but don't rush out to buy it.

The Blu-ray presentation is pleasing and I would recommend it to any fan of the movie.

Overall 3.5/5

I was so disgusted with this movie. Holy smokes, they show lesbians watching a porn movie of 2 gay guys. How gross!! The language is pretty bad too. Lots of swearing. I fast forwarded many parts as well as travelling parts where nothing happens and there are many. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Total garbage!!