The Kids Are All Right

So I had been wanting to see this movie for awhile because the plot looked so refreshing and original and Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actresses. I was more than excited when I found out that the theater near my hotel was playing it here in Chicago and I went and saw it that night. I went in expecting a nice little comedy but it ended up being so much more.

The plot follows two teenage siblings, Joni and Laser, who secretly contact the sperm donor that their mothers used in conceiving them. Their parents, played by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening, soon find out and a little dysfunctional family is created which creates turmoil the summer before Joni's departure to college.

The characters are wonderfully written; believable and very complex. I empathized with each of these characters during the movie. The plot feels original and unique and definitely breaks the barriers with the 'normal'. The dialogue was smart, witty, and believable. I wouldn't be surprised if a large part of the scenes were ad-libbed. The plot turned out to be very comical but at the same time it was extremely emotional. I felt what these characters were feeling.

The editing was done very nicely, and I especially loved the opening sequence with Laser and Clay on skateboards. The camera angles were unique and matched the feel of the movie at the right part without being overdone. The editing was on pace with the movie and the score was subtle enough to smooth things together.

The performances were what blew me away in this movie. Julianne Moore does an amazing job. She's so believable and really gives a raw believable performance, the living room scene where she delivers this heartfelt monologue is so captivating. I've read there may be some Oscar buzz already about this movie and if so, they're right on track! Annette Bening also does a fantastic job. She's right up there with Moore, but her character is more about the non-verbal emotions which she portrays well. They became these two characters, not to mention they were also extremely believable as a lesbian couple. Mark Ruffalo does a nice job although this characters isn't that far off what he's done before. The kids, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson, do a really great job as well. They were dynamic and believable which is not that easy to come by at their age.

I enjoyed this movie a lot because it was so much more than I was expecting. It had some raw emotion that everyone can empathize with. You do have to be open to dealing with the not 'normal' couple of Moore and Bening, and there were some scenes in there which didn't hold anything back. But overall, the plot was refreshing, entertaining, comical, highly emotional, and the two leading ladies gave some of the best performances of their careers. "We might hurt moms' feelings" -- The Kids Are All Right.