Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) are intelligent and thoughtful siblings from an educated and well-off family. Their parents, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), are a lesbian couple who used a sperm-donor to get pregnant. When Laser starts getting curious about his biological father, he pleads to Joni (who is now 18 and of legal age) to make the call to the sperm bank and obtain the donor's identity. Soon, Joni and Laser are meeting and bonding with their new dad, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). But introducing Paul to the family dynamic and figuring out where he fits in to all of this produces some mixed results. Written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko ("Laurel Canyon"), the story is genuinely heartfelt and original - not due so much to the fact that it depicts a non-traditional family, but more so due to the realistic portrayal of the trials and tribulations of married life. Nic and Jules are interesting and familiar characters because they act and speak like real couples do, and when they come at a crossroads in their relationship you feel their pain and frustration. Bening and Moore are both nakedly honest and emotional as Nic and Jules, and it is refreshing to see these two naturally beautiful actresses completely stripped of their vanity (no makeup or salon tresses here). And then there's Ruffalo (who, it should be menioned, I can never say enough good things about). As Paul, Ruffalo exudes more sexual and masculine energy than I thought was possible for any man to do. Such manliness and swagger should be off-putting, but Paul is just so damn charming - with his tanned easygoingness and radiant smile - that he ends up winning you over. "The Kids Are All Right" is an apt title for this family drama; Joni and Laser definitely seem to have it the most together when compared to their emotionally messed-up parents. But in the end, we're left feeling hopeful that Nic, Jules, and Paul will find their way back to being all right, too.
4 out of 5 stars
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