THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010 - Cert 15)

Someone once told me about a book, co-written by a psychiatrist and the comedian John Cleese, called Families and How to Survive Them. My friend at the time told me it was both funny and spot on in it's study of the family and how they can mess you up almost as much as they can shape you into a well-rounded human being. As I watched this low-budget indie-sensibility flick, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, I couldn't help but think of Cinema's obsession with the institution of the family and what they do to us. When you think about it, it really is the perfect subject matter. With a relatively small group of characters you are able to get love, romance, conflict, anger, heartbreak and a whole range of other emotions. Film makers are able to be ambitious with their ideas but ground the whole thing in something that every cinema goer is (perhaps a little too) familiar with.



The Kids Are All Right is not an insight into the most traditional family set up though. Instead it looks at a family where the parents are both women, lesbian women, played, to much acclaim, by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening, and how the very 21st century and stable norm is broken when the the two children, Mia Wasikowska (Alice from the recent disappointing Alice in Wonderland) and Josh Hutcherson track down their 'father' (through sperm donation).

I think that some of the good press that the film has attracted has been because of the subject matter and Hollywood trying to claim that it is liberal and tolerant of anyone and everyone. The other form of praise has been aimed at the quality of the film and even more so the quality of the performances by the cast. With regard to the former point, I firmly believe that to label the film with the 'lesbian' tag isn't fair because that particular element is incidental because it's more about families full stop and different they are now, rather than just lesbian families and how this affects the children. It's a lot more universal than I think many people have indicated.

I'll get off my high horse now and deal with the other positives that have been banded about since the film's release last year, namely the cast. The Oscars recognised their work to an extent, Annette Bening (Best Actress) and Mark Ruffallo (best supporting actor) were both nominated but, as is so often the case when it comes to the Oscars, this only really tells part of the story. Yes, they are both excellent but to compliment the two of them on their performances would be to do a massive disservice to their co-stars.

The family, this modern day 2.4 children model, at the outset is presented almost idyllically, both mothers clearly care about their children and want what's best for them, comically portrayed with nice digs at liberal parenting. The children themselves seem happy, aware of their 'different' upbringing, but comfortable with it at the same time. However, even at the beginning, you sense that all is not as it seems and that the framework the two women have fought so hard to put into place is fragile and built on very uncertain foundations. This brittleness isn't signposted by clunky script, instead it's in the performances. Bening likes to think of herself as in control, but she is at the other end of the extreme, a control freak who teeters on the edge of a drinking problem. Moore seems happy to let Bening think that she is the boss, but is a lost soul herself, drifting through life unsure of the direction her career should take. Both are superb, at times looking touchingly in love, at others at odds with the monotony of life and in danger of colliding with one another at any second. As I said earlier, this is a universal theme and not one that is specific to a lesbian relationship. However, it is totally convincing and I immediately 'bought' them both as the lesbian couple, making this aspect of their relationship almost secondary. The two children play along with the happy family thing but the fact that they both want to meet their biological father suggests that something is missing from their upbringing, something that they feel the need to fill.

So we have this applecart like family that is one nudge away from being tipped over. And that nudge appears in the form of Mark Ruffalo, who is really starting to deliver on the promise that he has previously shown. Small support roles, executed perfectly, and interesting film choices have now evolved into leading roles and 'leading man' shouts. He does everything so effortlessly, and this is no exception. His Paul is free soul who is successful but happy in the reality that he isn't going to marry or have a family. He runs an organic restaurant and has an allotment where he grows his produce. If there is a criticism to be had, it's that Paul is a bit too perfect, perhaps a stereotype hippy-like character, but i must admit that all of that was forgotten once Ruffalo was on screen for a couple of minutes because he is so engaging.

Suffice to say that Paul's arrival on the scene doesn't stay as rosy as it does initially and the family quickly unravels, and all the weak points and soft foundations are quickly exposed. Watching this happen isn't as depressing as it might sound, it's done with gentle, delicate humour and occasional black comedy that ensure it doesn't fall into the trap of melodrama. That isn't to say that there isn't moments where you will shed a tear, how could there not be when people like Moore and Bening are on such fine form.

Lisa Cholodenko needs to get a mention as well. It's a beautifully written film, directed steadily with no frills, although it does have that 'indie' feel that so many films seem to have now (picture Juno without the sketch-like graphics) which may irritate some. It's brave as well in that it film seems to follow certain characters at different points, then it quickly shifts to another point of view. It could feel inconsistent for some viewers but to me it opens up a much more interesting dynamic to the film. I have spoken to three other people who have seen it and all had different views, to me and each other, about each character and who was the real villain of the piece, if indeed there was one. For a film to be able to generate such a variety of opinions when we are all seeing the same thing, shows something with real depth and emotion.

It'll leave you with a smile on your face as well, because, for all it's negativity about families and how they can mess you up, it's ultimately about how your family really are the people who know you best and love you most. A lovely film that would have scooped awards had it not been released in such a strong year against such stiff competition.