The Kids Are All Wrong...

...just kidding.  To be fair, this (The Kids Are All Right) was not a bad movie - I just did not really like it.  This movie, to me, really has nothing to do with the "kids" or the fact that their mothers are lesbians.  You could insert a male for the part of Annette Bening and I fail to see how it would really be any different.  Which is as it should be, because - after all - does it matter if the parents are lesbian?  No.  I just really didn't get it.  The premise was a married couple who find themselves late in their marriage with children going through the bumps in the road of their teenage years.  The twist is that the kids are the result of a sperm donor and the teens are curious about their biological father.  Everything else sort-of get muddled and confusing and eye-raising. 

My first complaint is that I did not find the relationship between Jules and Paul believable at all.  And it had nothing to do with the fact that she was supposed to be lesbian.  The whole thing, and his "falling for her" stuff... just rang hollow with me.  Next, I didn't understand him.  At first he seems very cool and relaxed and whatever, then he seems to be disrespectful of the mother's wishes regarding the kids and all of a sudden wants to be a family man.  This was also not believable, in my opinion.  He was just really messed up.  And it bothered me that there was so little understanding or explanation of that.  Finally, I was disappointed in how the kids had little involvement.  This was more about mid-life crises and marriages, than anything to do with kids.  I guess this may be more the preconceived notions I had regarding the title of the movie.  But I wasn't a huge fan.

Things I liked:  The acting was great.  Moore and Bening were both rock solid.  And I liked their relationship.  The complimentary nature of their "roles" and personalities was easy to relate to.  I also liked the whole Southern California "vibe" throughout the movie.  Mark Ruffalo's character confused the hell out of me.  Not sure if this was the acting or not, but generally I thought he was pretty good.  And I also thought the ending was pretty good as well. 

But all in all, it disappointed.  There wasn't anything that separated this movie from "average" to me.  Outside of the acting, it was merely a confusing and not-completely-believable story of a married couple in a mid-life crisis.  Maybe I just don't get it and it wasn't made for me.  But I found it very "meh."