The Kids Are All Right

Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) are two women who have been together some 20-something years, and they have two children to show for it. They live a routine, make that boring life together, and their kids are so sick of their constant parenting. Little do the two women know that the kids, 15 and 18, are scheming to find out who their sperm donor father is. They go about meeting Paul (Mark Ruffalo) on the sly, and try to learn a bit about him.

Paul from the very start is very appealing to them. He's calm, affable, not like their high-strung, meddlesome parents. The trouble ensues, though, when Paul gets more involved with the family, at some point not in a good way.

I really liked this film, despite the negative issues I've heard about from the lesbian community. I think their issues are valid. In its defense, I think the film showed a lot of issues that real couples deal with. What is a partnership. What is a marriage. And what do you do with your kids when they stop taking your advice.

As you can imagine, Bening and Moore are just super in their roles, and it's amazing how they let the camera play over their 50's-ish wrinkles and freckles. Mark Ruffalo is just about perfect as Paul, the guy who's kind of mellow, but maybe that's only because he's never had a family to deal with. The kids are very good, too, particularly Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Alice in Wonderland).

At the end, it's all about the kids, what's good for them, something Jules and Nic know all about and Paul has yet to discover.

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