Perhaps the greatest achievement of The Kids Are All Right is that, like life, not everything is alright. There lies no sugar coating, no politicizing, and barely any dramatizing...like most indie films. But unlike most indie films, The Kids Are All Right does not come off as "indie".
Although lacking the unconventional plot and character devices that indie films draw to, like moths to light, i.e. perfectly constructed banter, pregnancy, adolescent revolution, and an entire cast of characters that would better suit an insane asylum rather than a suburban home or BMW van, Kids still comes off as even more unconventional and daring than the quirkiest indies out there. This is because the drama of Nic and Jules’ (played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) family is entirely natural. It almost feels as though director, Lisa Choldenko, was never on the set and Bening and Moore really are a lesbian couple living in California with their two kids, Jodi and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson). When Jodi and Laser decide to contact their sperm daddy, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), it’s not for the drama of the film it’s for themselves. Everything happens because it’s life, not because it’s a movie.
A heavily marketed Sundance film that isn’t touched by Hollywood convention? Shit. Now that is unconventional.
One of the only problems in Kids is that, while watching, it’s impossible not to obsess over who will win best actress. Bening or Moore, Bening or Moore. The competition will drill inside your head. For now, I’m placing my bets on Moore purely because, at times, Bening’s performance comes off as the black sheep in a film that demands equal footing from all the characters. It’s obvious Choldenko wants the audience to feel a balance of sympathy and disdain towards each lead character, which Bening, ever so rarely, fails to achieve.
Along with that bet though, I would add that the actress who truly deserves an award is Mia Wasikowska. Her performance as Jodi is jaw dropping. Towards the very end of the film (no spoilers here) she begins to cry, but the tears are first held by a wide smile, which very, very gradually strains, crinkles, and then finally drops. It’s the most powerful piece of facial control I have ever seen in a film.
Oh and Mark Ruffalo and Josh Hutcherson are, of course, also excellent, but at this point, excellence in Kids should be assumed.
