Fresh off a Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical and star Annette Bening's win for Best Performance by an Actress- Comedy or Musical (co-star Julianne Moore scored a nomination), it's a safe bet that "The Kids Are All Right" will score similar nominations at this year's Oscars.
The film is a drama/comedy about a same-sex couple (Bening and Moore) and their two children, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), coming to grips with their changing roles after the kids seek out their sperm-donor father, played by Mark Ruffalo.
While it markets itself more as a comedy and the Globes recognized it as such, its material is far more substantial than typical comedic fare. Sure, there are plenty of funny moments, but the plot touches many complex emotional chords and tackles a number of semi-weighty subjects with more heartfelt poise than belly laughs.
"The Kids Are All Right" does a very eloquent job of tackling the universal emotional struggles of family life, and its lightheartedness balances nicely with the heavier moments in the film. The brilliance in "Kids"' storytelling, though, is its ability to make itself relatable to anyone's personal experiences, despite taking place in such specific social and economic niches.
I personally found myself somewhat removed from the characters at the beginning, mostly due to the upper-class settings in which the story takes place. I was quickly won over, though, by the actors' portrayals, which proved endearingly real and candidly expressive.
"The Kids Are All Right," out on DVD now, is a definite must-see. If you haven't seen it yet, get your hands on a copy. I didn't feel moved to the point that I'd spend the money to own it, but it was absolutely worth the rental.
Contrary to her natural state of being, Renee Lorenz is a total optimist when it comes to Milwaukee. Since beginning her career with OnMilwaukee.com, her occasional forays into the awesomeness that is the Brew City have turned into an overwhelming desire to discover anything and everything that's new, fun or just ... "different."
Expect her random musings to cover both the new and "new-to-her" aspects of Miltown goings-on, in addition to periodically straying completely off-topic, which usually manifests itself in the form of an obscure movie reference.
