Another warning: Spoiler commentary ahead.
My afternoon movie yesterday was "The Kids Are All Right" with two wonderful actors, Julianne Moore (again!) and Annette Bening, playing a lesbian couple, Jules and Nic, with two children, Joni and Laser, played by Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson, both of whom were conceived by the same sperm donor, one each by the two mothers.
The kids decide that they want to meet their biological father. Laser is under 18, so the pursuit of the identity of the donor falls to Joni, who has just turned 18 and is getting ready to head off to college.
The children meet their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), and then their moms agree to meet Paul, and - surprise! - complications ensue. Nic and Jules are going through a rough patch in their relationship, and Jules begins an affair with Paul, and how's that for a complication?
But, we've come a long way, in that the point of view in the film is that the situation is of the sort that could possibly arise in any family with children conceived by donors and is not at all unique to families with same-sex parents. And the kids are all right.
Again, my time was well-spent, with my mind distracted from the Anglican soap, "As the Anglican World Turns", which world continues to turn whether I pay attention, or not.
Hey! I could do this every day, if I had the time, and I found enough good movies.
And your movie reviews are so much more edifying than the Anglican soap opera.
ReplyDeleteAs was the movie more edifying than the Anglican soap opera, Pablito.
ReplyDeleteYou could do this every day? You sound like you could use Netflix!
ReplyDeleteThe movie that lesbians love to hate. [There are many for whom, had Julianne Moore taken an ax to the kids, would have been less objectionable than her sleeping w/ a man---any man. (I, um, kid---just a little! ;-X)]
ReplyDeleteI still haven't seen it. I'll probably catch it when it shows up on the tube.
susan, I could do it - zone out on real life and into movie life. Netflix for me.
ReplyDeleteJCF, is this the movie that lesbians love to hate? I hope you kid a little. In "A Single Man" the gay George had sex with his best friend, Charlotte, a few times.
How interesting. I just watched this movie myself and I so wanted to like it, I expected to love it.
ReplyDeleteI hated it. (No JCF, not for the same reason as the lesbians!!) I found the characters all fairly loathsome. Not completely true, the kids - no pun intended, were fine! And clearly I was not offended by gay characters and/or family life or the things that happen.
Oh well, so it is, I know that I am in the minority here. Maybe if I watch it again and I might feel feel differently?
Fran, your take on the film is interesting. I thought the people were just people, flawed as most humans are. To me, it would have spoiled the integrity of the film to make the characters perfect, or near perfect. The characters seemed like people I know, true to life.
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