Much like one character says to another in this film, they just hate seeing wasted potential. The Kids Are All Right is a movie saved only by the acting. The storyline is clunky and at times nonsensical, and you get the sense after finishing the movie that a lot has been missed without any proper kind of resolution.
To start with the good: Julianne Moore and Annette Bening own their roles. They take what could easily be two poorly developed characters and make them a lot more human than the script calls for them to be. The actors playing the children also shine as they experience the hurt that can be caused when you make life-changing decisions haphazardly.
Sadly, the bad is plenty in this film. What could be an interesting storyline, children of a lesbian couple finding their biological father and attempting a relationship with him while their mothers' relationship goes through a rough patch quickly descends into weird melodrama that is resolved in the most unsatisfactory way possible. Oddly, the biological father is the one who ends up being punished the most seriously, despite the fact he was not the one who initiated the whole thing, and his bad acts are more than matched by those of the other characters.
In short, I would say to give this movie a viewing, but merely for the acting. That should keep anyone watching from expecting too much.
To start with the good: Julianne Moore and Annette Bening own their roles. They take what could easily be two poorly developed characters and make them a lot more human than the script calls for them to be. The actors playing the children also shine as they experience the hurt that can be caused when you make life-changing decisions haphazardly.
Sadly, the bad is plenty in this film. What could be an interesting storyline, children of a lesbian couple finding their biological father and attempting a relationship with him while their mothers' relationship goes through a rough patch quickly descends into weird melodrama that is resolved in the most unsatisfactory way possible. Oddly, the biological father is the one who ends up being punished the most seriously, despite the fact he was not the one who initiated the whole thing, and his bad acts are more than matched by those of the other characters.
In short, I would say to give this movie a viewing, but merely for the acting. That should keep anyone watching from expecting too much.