A Gay Old Time.

The Kids Are All Right review

By Chriss_m from Glasgow

The Kids Are All Right

Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska

Director Lisa Cholodenko

Genres Comedy, Drama

Run time 104 mins Certificate 15

8th January 2012

Wasn't really expecting to dig this so much. Kind of thought it was going to be just another family drama, you know, 'cause that's kind of the point, right? Gay couple, adoption, kids, blah blah blah, but really just the normal family. That's the very obvious premise you can expect: 'the movie every Liberal ejaculates too, must-see left-wing porno of 2010.'

And you know, as boring as 'family drama' may sound, the movie is actually fairly brilliant. Again, the fact that the main characters just so happen to be lesbians almost becomes inconsequential, which is a very good thing. It advances the trend in film, in which not every story involving a gay character must revolve around his or her sexuality (See Xavier Dolan's movies for more of this).

The director executes the premise with skill, wit and a nonchalance that the weirdness of the film is not even considered by about the fifteen minute mark. Instead, the viewer will be absorbed in the characters and their dramas.

This is in no small part due to the funny script, but credit should go particularly toward the actors here; every one of them displays a rawness that makes the characters more than just a 'narrative trigger', I guess what I'm saying is, the actors really bring these characters alive.

The well-rounded, overall quality of the movie is so high, that never will the film seem preachy, or have the appearance of a movie with an agenda. Yes, it has a message, but the film is about just any other family.

A real achievement.

Report this review Write a review

About the reviewer: Chriss_m

Yoh, I'm Chriss. I like movies that explore the human condition, but I also believe that since film is a visual medium that a movie should be told within a stylistic narrative: whether that be dreamily surrealistic or grittily realistic, there is always a distinctive visual element present in the best cinema has to offer. Themes are the essence of my enjoyment of a movie, especially when they are handled well. As this is the case, many of my higher rated movies (especially those with 5 stars) are movies that explore themes I respond to. I suppose my ratings are a good reflection of my personality. I quite enjoy movies that delve into superficiality and identity. Two subjects of particular interest to me. Although I find movies of a darker nature more intellectually enjoyable, I do quite like comedies as well. Although admittedly not my favourite genre of film, the comedies I enjoy tend to be cynical or sarcastic, intelligent- so definitely not the likes of American Pie or Tropic Thunder, etc. Comedies more akin to the likes of Withnail & I or In the Loop. I'm not at all bothered by the nationality of a movie, in fact I'm quite keen on cinema being seen as a universal language. Right now, I'd have to say I'm particularly enjoying the ridiculously stylish Chinese movies like Hero and The House of Flying Daggers. So thanks for reading this far, if anyone has! Oh, and just as an additional note- I'm self-educated in the way of film analysis, so I feel it would be precocious of me to go into dauntingly long, overly complicated, mumbling reviews of the movies. So with the movies I have reviewed, really think of it more as a blurb than a full-on critique. Thanks!

Titles rented: 42

Favourite actor: Bill Nighy, Meryl Streep

Favourite director: Ingmar Bergman, Yimou Zhang, Pasolini