“The Kids Are All Right:” Just another functioning, dysfunctional family
Nic and Jules are quite the pair.
Two teenage kids, two lesbian mothers and one anonymous sperm donor father is a recipe for a delightful film, filled with heart and wonderful scenes of unadulterated awkwardness. When Paul (the “donor dad”) receives a call from a sperm-donor agency which he donated to many years ago (something he forgot he had done), the shock on his face and in his voice is palpable, as low key as he is. His meeting with his 18-year-old daughter, Joni and his 16-year-old son, Laser, is similarly priceless. After going through the hand shakes and obligatory-I’m-fine-how-are-you’s…what do you say to the kids you didn’t know you had? Naturally, Paul decides to find out what his kids are all about. “What about you, Laser, what do you do?” Joni immediately chimes in: “Laser is an amazing athlete.” When asked if he ever played any sports in high school, Paul responds, “Team sports got on my nerves after a while, it’s like HEY LET’S GO KICK SOME ASS MAN!”…only to find out that Laser only plays team sports…soccer, basketball, baseball. More awkwardness ensues.
The two gems of the movie, however, are Nic and Jules, the “moms,” played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. Nic is the type-A, doctor and breadwinner of the family, while Jules is the low-key mom who is dabbling with a career in “landscape design” – which, she notes, is different than mere gardening. (The plot becomes all the more interesting when Paul becomes Jules’ first client). Jules and Nic’s chemistry and performances are both amazing, their ups and downs raw and real. Nic feels threatened as Paul encroaches on her family and relies on red wine to solve her problems; Jules feels Nic’s distance and turns to others for consolation.
The family meets the sperm donor, Paul.
Despite the southern California family’s many abnormalities, they are a strikingly normal, dysfunctional but functioning family. The kids rebel, as teenagers do, and love their parents as much as they are embarrassed by them. The moms – especially Nic – try to tighten the reigns as the kids are growing older, and as Joni goes off to college.
Nic and Paul bond over their favorite Joni Mitchell song.
Relationships evolve in this complicated web of family ties – Nic and Paul bond over an acapella rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” over the dinner table, while they initially clashed over fundamental life differences (Paul didn’t go to college…and he rides a motorcycle – gasp!). Another refreshing aspect of the film is its focus on the moms as parents and lovers – not just lesbians. This film is a real crowd-pleaser, regardless of your age, sexual orientation, or your take on motorcycles.
