Several years ago, I received a painting as a gift. At first glance, the picture pleased the eye with attractive hues and compelling scenery, and I said as much to the well-intentioned givers. Later, however, when I had the chance to get alone with the picture, I discovered the proportions were off, the colors not so much “attractive” but “expected” for the scene being depicted, and the content more iconic than alive. The painting suggested life and vibrancy, but behind the trimmings I could locate no beating heart.
When I first saw the trailer for The Kids are All Right, I immediately recognized that here, finally, was an atypical summer film. At long last, a movie about something. The promise of a rich topic (two teenage siblings with lesbian parents seek their sperm donor dad with compelling results) and solid acting (via Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo) had me purchasing a ticket opening week. Like a prized piece of art from the hands of director Lisa Cholodenko, I came prepared to receive this important cinematic gift. Sadly, I walked out of the theater holding little more than a forgery.
To be sure, The Kids are All Right has all the pieces and parts to compose a brilliant picture, but the proportions are wrong. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore don’t work. We don’t believe them as a couple and with this doubt the entire film feels off-kilter and somehow “untrue.” The colors and set decoration, which could at least distract us from the movie’s disproportions, are so dull that one wonders if the director realized she was telling her story visually. Even the characters themselves seem one-dimensional (with the exceptions of the “dad” played by Mark Ruffalo and the teenage daughter portrayed wonderfully by Mia Wasikowska). The net result is a piece of “art” that seems important, but has no beating heart.
Film critics have seemingly swallowed the bait. Many were dazzled by the film’s facade. But the filmmakers didn’t fool the middle-aged lady sitting in front of me who leaned over to her friend after the showing and said with little conviction, “that was interesting.” And while she very well may have been interested (although, I doubt), she should have been moved.
Even more significant than the this failure to engage the heart, the story itself seemingly lacks truth. The kids are not all right, anything but. They want a dad, and while the dad they get isn’t the person they deserve, it doesn’t negate the desire. The filmmakers ask us to applaud these mothers who remain committed to each other through the storm, but seemingly fail to see that below the surface the ship has hit a glacier and is taking on water. The kids may seem fine, but without further aid could very well sink.
I sometimes catch myself looking at the painting that was given to me in belief that this time I will certainly find life there. I still haven’t. You likely won’t here either.
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Without any humor in the story, this would be a very sad story about a destructive mix of personalities causing havoc in a family. But the film does have a lot of humor in it.
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. It seems like so many great movies have played before my eyes in the last few weeks that I don’t even remember “The Kids are All Right.” To my recollection, I don’t remember laughing at all during this film. Was it supposed to be a comedy (the Foreign Press Association obviously thinks so)? I’ve never been a very good judge of comedy.