The Oscar-nominated film The Kids are All Right follows the story of two children, Laser and Joni, who search for the sperm donor that their mothers, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), used to conceive. After the children reach out to the donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), every character in this unconventional family begins a unique relationship with the easy-going and charming character.
Because of the Oscar nomination and what we thought was a really interesting premise, we had high expectations for this film. Although the movie didn't deliver in its entirety, we were still impressed with the film as a whole, especially Ruffalo's performance. Ruffalo is deserving of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his strong performance and for creating a character that was not only likable, but integral to the film's success. It is undeniable that this "supporting" character stole the show and provided the strongest performance out of all the actors, including Annette Bening, who is also nominated for an Oscar.
Although the overall film is deserving of an Oscar nod, the movie's storyline lacked development and many secondary characters remained underdeveloped by the end of the film. For example, the beginning of the movie gives a lot of attention to Laser's strange relationship with his friend, Clay. The pair is introduced snorting cocaine and, in a series of scenes, they wrestle, watch gay porn and perform a dangerous stunt off of a roof. This relationship doesn't do much to characterize Laser, and a few disconnected scenes later, Clay disappears from the movie entirely.
We weren't fond of this relationship, but perhaps the biggest disappointment was the ending. After an affair between Jules and Paul nearly derails the family, Paul is shafted from them entirely. Although Paul must leave for their survival, it's hard not to feel sorry for him as the relationships he had formed crumble as a result of the affair. At the end, we found ourselves cheering for Paul throughout the entire situation and were disappointed to see him so easily thrust out of the movie.
In general, the movie struggled to achieve coherence. For example, despite the title, we didn't think the stories of two children were adequately fleshed out; instead, the film mostly centered on the drama between Paul, Jules and Nic. The abrupt ending may have also caused the movie to fall flat. Because the entire film centers on Paul's growing relationships with the members of the family, it was disappointing to see his departure from all the character's lives; the movie might have felt more whole if the writers found a way to incorporate Paul into the film's end.
However, despite these shortcomings, The Kids Are All Right is a sweet film that portrays authentic love in an unusual home, and ultimately shows what it means to be a part of a loving family.
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