One of the most frequently entertaining genres of cinema that has sadly become less common in recent years is that of the family drama, as it is possible that audiences have become less enamored with it based on the frequency of its availability on prestige television. Although there are countless films about adolescence, dating, and marriage, stories about families may feel less inherently exciting and thus gain less exposure. While family dynamics have certainly evolved over the course of cinematic history, a truly great film can address the specificity of one experience whilst still telling a story that is universally relatable. The Kids Are All Right is a hilarious, heartwarming story about the ties that bind a family together and even features a little bit of mystery to spice the story up.
What Is ‘The Kids Are All Right’ About?
The Kids Are All Right is centered on two married women that are raising their two children, the older of whom is preparing to leave for college. Dr. Nicole Allgood (Annette Bening) is an extremely accomplished medical specialist who provides a majority of her family’s financial resources; while her wife, Jules Allgood (Julianne Moore), does have her own landscaping business, she does begin to feel some anxieties that she is simply the “housewife” of their marriage. As their daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), prepares to leave, her younger brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson) asks for her assistance in finding their biological father, as they were both born through artificial insemination. Joni reluctantly agrees, and they are able to meet Paul Hatfield (Mark Ruffalo), an idiosyncratic organic restaurant owner who shows enthusiasm about connecting with his children. Although Joni and Laser are both interested in learning more about them, Paul’s emergence within their lives threatens to disrupt their family dynamic.
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The Kids Are All Right examines the importance of honesty within any family, as a majority of the conflicts in the film emerge from characters being too frightened to admit their truths to one another. Although Nicole initially feels some anxiety about Josh’s desire to see his father, fearing that he had animosity about not having a male role model growing up, it is revealed that his interest in Paul was simply one of curiosity. The family is most actively threatened by an affair between Jules and Paul, but the two characters eventually realize that taking out their frustrations on loved ones by being with one another is not a healthy way to continue their lives. The Kids Are All Right does not attempt to sanitize the struggles that LGBTQIA+ couples face and does not try to shy away from the challenges of growing up in the modern world. In fact, the open-ended nature of the conclusion proves that The Kids Are All Right is far more ambiguous about its characters than most films with the “family dramedy” genre tend to be.
The Kids Are All Right earned both Bening and Ruffalo very well-deserved Academy Award nominations for their performances, as they both were able to bring a surprising amount of maturity to roles that could have easily felt like caricatures. While this is not the first time that Bening has played an accomplished, slightly neurotic leader of a household, she is able to unpack the unique pressures that Nicole is under by examining the anxieties she feels about giving her children the need to succeed. Paul could have easily felt like a sleazy, irresponsible manchild, but Ruffalo brings an effortless sense of charisma that reveals that he does have some good intentions, even if he doesn’t quite understand the best way to insert himself into his children’s lives.
The Kids Are All Right finds the perfect mixture of comedy and drama; while the notion of Joni leaving for college forces every character to take a step back and examine the totality of their time together, there is also a lot of playful humor that comes from their snarky relationships with one another. Even if the family within The Kids Are All Right may not reflect the dynamic of every audience member, it tackles universal themes about trying to discern the feelings of loved ones that are universally relatable.
Image via Focus Features
English (US) ·