The Kids Are All Right
U.S.A. 2010

Opening 18 Nov 2010

Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko
Writing credits: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Principal actors: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

Jules and Nic are a couple with two adolescent children, Laser and Joni. They would be the typical all-American family except that the parents are lesbian women (played by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening). Each bore a child after being impregnated with sperm donated by the same man so that the children truly are related on their father’s side. As the children approach adulthood, they are curious about this man, and Joni applies for information, which is granted. Thus, they meet Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who is happy to become part of their lives. In fact, he is open to becoming a friend of the “parents,” but the children prefer to keep this secret for themselves. One day, however, Laser inadvertently confesses, and Jules and Nic are beside themselves with this impossible situation, but, as modern people, they decide to be reasonable. They invite Paul to dinner, predicting that he will be a fiasco and past history. Predictably, life is not that easy.

This is an interesting topic with good acting on all sides. The humor makes it easy to enjoy and, in this day and age, it’s definitely a topic to consider seriously. Just recently British physician Robert Edwards won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work developing in vitro fertilization, which he began in 1978. Now, in 2010, test tube babies are part of society, as this film shows. (Becky Tan)