Movie Reviews: 'The Kids Are All Right'

Summary : The teenage children of lesbian parents seek out their biological father.

Review: Starring Annette Benning and Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right has been universally praised for its deeply emotional stories mixed with real-life comedy. Regardless of your background, the superbly written film is easily relatable and hits a sentimental chord about the power of family. The viewer walks away with teachable moments and, even though it’s cliché, realizing we are more alike than different.

Annette Benning gives another Oscar worthy performance, hopefully this year she will win, as a neurotic woman who is so obsessed with control that she forgets about compassion. Julianne Moore is just as strong, even though her character isn’t as nuanced as Benning, her interpretation of a woman who is in love with her partner but frustrated with her coldness is dead-on. This is a simple character that Moore manages to make interestingly complex.

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko a nd written by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right is one of those nearly perfect films in direction, script and casting. Versus feeling like standard to movie-making, it’s more of a glimpse into the lives of these wounded but fun characters.

Furthermore, we also see Yaya DaCosta , former America’s Next Top Model alumni, who is quietly etching her way into Hollywood. She plays Tanya, an artsy L.A. chick and the boyfriend of the biological father. Hopefully, someone will give her bigger roles sooner the later; this is a star in the making.

Never predictable, which is a challenge for these real-life dramas, Kids satisfies ever aspect of since filmmaking.  Viewers should not be turned off by the fact that this is a lesbian a couple. Without a doubt, regardless of the orientations, The Kids Are All Right is an all-American film.