NOW
SHOWING
. . .
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Rated R [language, sexual content] - 106 minutes
Friday, August 27 thru Thursday, September 2 . . . Final Showings
Monday thru Thursday - *5:15, 7:30
Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
Written & Directed by Lisa Cholodenko [LAUREL CANYON, HIGH ART]
see the preview here: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi381421337/
Bening
and Moore play Nic and Jules, a married couple with teenage children. This comfortable Southern California family
has got problems like any other: Nic is a driven, sharp-edged
doctor and relies a bit too much on red wine to soften up; Jules is
prone to insecurity and can't get a career in gear. Their
daughter Joni, an A student about to leave the nest for college, feels
the strain of high expectations. Their 15-year-old son Laser
doesn't even realize how much he's been missing a fatherly presence
until, after hiding the quest from their moms, the siblings track down
their biological ''donor dad,'' Paul, a loose and groovy bachelor
restaurateur. With the addition of Paul's footloose, hetero
masculine energy the clan is in for some bumps ahead. I don't
know what's more delightful — that the film stars Bening, Moore,
and Ruffalo at the top of their games in an irresistible story of
lesbian marriage, sperm-donor fatherhood, sex, red wine, and teen
angst. Or that this warm, funny, sexy, smart movie erases the
boundaries between specialized ''gay content'' and universal ''family
content'' with such sneaky authority. So let's say both, and give high
fives to director Lisa Cholodenko and her co-writer, Stuart Blumberg,
for using the components of a commercial dramedy to cross boundaries
with such indie élan. - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
