You would have to be living under a rock not to know that there is a serious battle for gay rights going on in this country. The long awaited new film The Kids Are All Right directed by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art) is timed perfectly to the debate, and shows just how far the issue has come to real people living it each and every day while legal and political factions still duke it out in the public arena.
I do believe that films can affect culture. They seep in to our culture’s soul and over time, make people think about things differently. This funny and accessible film starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as two long time married spouses who happen to be gay is one of those films. Here we have two pretty major female movie stars playing lesbians moms in a way we have never seen before in a mainstream movie. That alone is extremely exciting.
There have been very few gay and lesbian films that have been able to break through to reach a mainstream audience. One of the first I remember is In and Out starring Kevin Kline. Then there was Brokeback Mountain which profoundly altered the conversation. And recently there was Milk which won Sean Penn as best actor Oscar. But now with The Kids Are All Right the conversation is shifted. And that is such a good thing.
The thing about The Kids Are All Right which is directed by Lisa Cholodenko and written by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg is that it is not a gay film. It’s a film about a family and how it gets through a moment of crisis.
The premise is that 18-year-old Joni (Mia Wasikowska) who is about to leave for college is convinced by her 15-year-old brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson) to inquire about their sperm donor dad. Turns out he’s a hot organic farmer/restaurateur played by Mark Ruffalo. Donor dad starts to insinuate himself into the family and (SPOILER) begins an affair with Julianne Moore that sends the whole family careening into crisis.
While all the performances are spectacular and this is one of the best films of the year so far, having now seen it twice, I am still blown away by Annette Bening’s performance as Nic. She plays a tightly wound doctor who likes things to be just so and how she reacts to the different crises and issues is magnificent. Julianne Moore is fantastic and has a great speech at the end, but I’ve seen this from her before. Bening on the other hand just blew me away.
The film opens in limited release today and will be rolling out across the country in the coming weeks.
Don’t miss it.
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I went to a screening last night and was blown away by the entire cast. I must admit that I had to warm up to Nic but once I did (there’s a pivotal scene I don’t want to spoil) I absolutely fell in love with her. Julianne Moore was equally as great. I was impressed with her from the beginning. I hope that they are both nominated for Best Actress, although I fear they might cancel the other out.
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