Annette Bening and Julianne Moore Are All Right (and so is their film)

Before I saw The Kids Are All Right, my favorite film of 2010 so far, I never knew that some lesbians enjoy watching gay male porn. It was a surprise to me because I doubt there are very many homosexual men who would get off on lesbian porn - even if it was Madonna and Lady Gaga. Most of us would probably just prefer to hear them sing and keep their clothes on. So in addition to being highly entertained by the movie, I did learn something.

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right offers us an intimate look at a modern family - longtime lesbian couple Nic (Annette Bening), a successful doctor and a tightly-wound perfectionist, and Jules (Julianne Moore), a much more free-spirited gal still searching for the right career, and their children, 18-year-old Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and 15-year-old Laser (Josh Hutcherson), who were both conceived using the same anonymous sperm donor (Nic gave birth to Joni, while Jules had Laser). When the kids contact the sperm bank in order to meet their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), everyone is deeply affected - especially their two mothers. It's a comedy and a drama, and by the end of the film, I wanted to spend more time with these interesting characters - which I think is a good sign of a great movie.

The performances couldn't be better. Bening and Moore make a lovely and believable couple who have great onscreen chemistry - and Ruffalo perfectly captures the easygoing nature of his cool and sexy character (and he isn't shy about showing off his attractive ass). However, I was most impressed by 20-year-old Wasikowska (who's Australian) and 17-year-old Hutcherson, who both deliver such natural performances that it doesn't even seem like they're acting. I predict big careers ahead for each of them.

The Kids Are All Right is one of the best films of the year, and I have a feeling that it will receive some awards in the coming months. I also hope to see all five actors get some recognition as well - especially Annette Bening, who deserves to finally win an Academy Award. I wouldn't be surprised if both she and Moore are nominated for Best Actress, but Bening has the edge in my book. I also loved the last line of the movie, which made me laugh - and that's always a nice way to send your audience home.

My Grade: A+
Running time: 104 minutes
Website: www.focusfeatures.com/film/the_kids_are_all_right