Film Review: The Kids Are All Right

DVD: The Kids Are All Right   10/10

Director: Lisa Cholodenko

Starring: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo

Plot: two children gain contact with their biological father; after being a donor for their mothers. A strange relationship soon builds.

Loads of sloppy rom-coms and reinvented comedies have become a regular fix in Hollywood and they should never be praised at all. However, a film has finally arrived which reinvents comedy; and its depiction of family life, deserves every award it gets. Julianne Moore (Jules) and Annette Bening (Nic) play a couple who, after their children find their biological father, have a rollercoaster of a relationship; something with incredibly funny, heart-warming highs and devastatingly low lows. The two are on-screen gold and their acting is incredibly solid throughout, particularly Julianne Moore who endures all sorts of personal problems throughout the film yet still captures moments of pure comical genius perfectly.

The couple’s children played by Josh Hutcherson (Laser) and Mia Wasikowska (Joni) are also a funny duo onscreen. Joni’s boyfriend troubles and Laser’s idiotic best friend are both storylines pushed to the side; however these stories add to the typical family life depicted and makes it feel that little bit more real because of it. Both Hutcherson (Peeta in the Hunger Games) and Wasikowska (Alice in Alice in Wonderland, 2010) again play out solid roles as they are humiliated and humoured by their out-of-the-ordinary family. Mark Ruffalo (now known for smashing up buildings in The Avengers as Hulk) is perhaps the weakest of all the characters. This may be because his character is the least interesting of them all but nevertheless he is still a presence the film needed and a suitable type of actor to play the awkward  biological father who doesn’t know what he is doing.

Lisa Cholodenko, the director, proves throughout the film that a laugh-a-minute and consistent inappropriate humour aren’t needed to make a film funny. Instead, character development and a real depiction of family life makes this film all the more relatable in its nature.

In Conclusion: perhaps the best Dramedy (drama/comedy) to be released in a long time, The Kids Are All Right is an uplifting, powerful film showing how family life can crumble and rebuild itself when it wants to and shows the highs and lows perfectly. It’s funny, sad, awkward and heart-warming but most of all, the director here proves that more female directors are needed today and this film is the best to showcase it.