The Kids Are All Right

 Seen as the second half of a double bill with RED, this serves as an object reminder of how great cinema can be. Seen individually, both of these films are marvellous examples of their respective genres, put together, they are a reminder of why I love the cinema so much, because of the pure variety  of what's available, and that a medium that occasionally inflicts Sex and the City 2 on us can still be relied upon to deliver.

 But on with the show. In The Kids Are All Right, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are a long established couple with two teenage kids, a boy aged 15 and a girl aged 18. And since, obviously, the kids must have happened with outside assistance somewhere along the line, the kids are naturally curious to find out who their biological father is. So they contact the sperm donation agency, and are put in touch with Mark Ruffalo, their donor.

 So, what we have is a very naturalistic comedy drama, in which the tensions and stresses in the established relationships are brought to light by the introduction of an interloper. Nic, played by Annette Bening, is the head of the household; she's a doctor, a bit fussy, a bit of a control freak. Jules, played by Julianne Moore, is more free and easy, sometimes resenting the control Nic exerts, but as often relying on it as the rock in her life. Mark Ruffalo is Paul, a charming, free, easygoing guy with no ties who's essentially given the shock of his life when presented with the family he'd have had if he'd had a family.

 Gradually, Paul is slowly invited into ther lives, to Nic's increasing discomfort. To the kids, he's a curiosity, and a fresh perspective on life outside of the very politically correct united front their parents present them with. Jules, essentially sees in Paul the father of her kids, and there's a strange attraction there. Paul, meanwhile, sees in Jules the wife and mother he never looked for in his life before. And so tensions mount and things get complicated.

 As always in a film where the story is quite small, the performances are everything. Annette Bening is brilliant, as she makes a potentially quite unlikeable and bitchy character into a flawed human being who tries hard to recognise her faults and bravely tries to accomodate changes she really doesn't watnt. Jules could be ditzy and flaky, but Julianne Moore potrays her as someone who feels before she thinks, and is very dependent on others for her own confidence. Mark Ruffalo brings an easy charm to a role which could have been quite shallow - all three of them essentially convey a depth to their characters well beyond the script, and I think there should be an Oscar in it for any one of them. More than one of them, if there's any justice.

 Overall, what's really great about this film, though, is the pitfalls it avoids. Given the synopsis, this could be a really preachy, angsty, histrionic experience. Whereas it's not, it relaxed family drama, by turns funny, sad, dramatic, but never once sounding a false note. One to see even if you think it might not be your kind of thing.