As soon as I realized that The Kids Are All Right was out of theaters, I put it on our Netflix queue. Anthony wasn't interested in seeing it so I planned to watch it on one of the long, cozy afternoons between Christmas and New Year's Day. Of course, those days flew by without offering a long, cozy afternoon so this weekend, on a Saturday that was surprisingly relaxing for a change, I popped in The Kids Are All Right. Persuaded by all of the Golden Globe/Oscar buzz surrounding the movie, Anthony watched with me. In the end, we both really enjoyed it and I was happy we watched together.
From the previews, this looks like a movie about a lesbian couple meeting the sperm donor who helped them conceive their children, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. In this film, every character is flawed, no one is perfect no matter how hard they try, and it's very clear to the audience that these characters may not even know what perfect actually is (who truly does?). The dialogue is realistically witty and the emotions are raw. Without giving anything away, I was surprised by the turning point of this movie, and it takes a lot to surprise me. It was lovely to be enveloped in a real story, and watch a family grow and break and love all at the same time.
The Kids Are All Right is about family, after all. The confusion that all five of the main characters feels at one point or another is so relateable and portrayed so beautifully that their pain is palpable. As someone who is older than the kids in the movie, but not yet a parent, I truly was affected from all sides. After I saw this movie, I wanted to curl up with a pen and write my own screenplay, one that bravely explores the truth about growing up and making mistakes that any viewer could understand.
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