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Mark Ruffalo has always been pretty irresistible, but he radiates charisma and pheromones in "The Kids Are All Right."
He's a scruffily appealing bachelor who rides a motorcycle, grows organic veggies and serves them at his restaurant, and agrees to meet the teenagers he fathered as an anonymous sperm donor. It's no wonder that everyone falls under his spell in "The Kids Are All Right."
The movie about a lesbian couple and the donor daddy that their children track down arrives at the Manor Theater on a wave of critical praise and early Oscar buzz.
Julianne Moore and Annette Bening have seven Academy Award nominations but nary a statuette between them, while Mr. Ruffalo landed on moviegoers' radar with his turn as Laura Linney's wayward, footloose brother in "You Can Count on Me."
Ms. Bening, in particular, is having a superb year playing outspoken characters who became mothers under unconventional circumstances.
- Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo.
- Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use.
- Web site: www.thecrazies-movie.com
In "Mother and Child," she was a middle-aged woman forever haunted by the baby she gave up for adoption as a teenager. Here, she's a physician named Nic, half of a longtime couple with Jules (Julianne Moore), and the breadwinner of their family of four.
Each woman had a child through artificial insemination with the same sperm donor. Nic gave birth to the now 18-year-old Joni (Mia Wasikowska) while Jules had 15-year-old Laser (Josh Hutcherson), but that distinction is a biological footnote, not a divide.
Laser convinces a reluctant Joni to call the agency and inquire about their donor, who later agrees to meet them. Paul (Mr. Ruffalo) was 19 years old at the time, and he is curious about the kids who share his DNA.
The three hit it off. When the alarmed moms get wind of this, they agree to see Paul but have no plans to "time share our kids with anyone." Their scheme: "Let's just kill him with kindness and put it to bed."
Things don't go as planned, as Paul's involvement puts the family and its frayed edges and changing dynamics in sharp relief.
Nic is a demanding doc who drinks too much wine, while Jules has bounced from architecture to furniture importing to landscape design. Joni is a driven brainiac about to start college, while Laser hangs out with an immature goofball of a best friend.
Paul arrives with his laid-back attitudes and, as it turns out, irresistible sex appeal, and forces everyone to look at themselves in a new light. The daddy donor who came to dinner brings everyone together right before they start to crack apart.
Director and co-writer Lisa Cholodenko has a history of providing strong roles for women with "High Art," starring Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell and Patricia Clarkson, and "Laurel Canyon," featuring Frances McDormand.
Ms. Cholodenko spent more than four years writing the screenplay with Stuart Blumberg. He had been a sperm donor in college while she and her female partner were trying to have a child.
"The Kids" pivots on five beautifully modulated performances and a portrait of a Southern California family that is simply presented without political or social folderol. Nic is worried that Paul is taking over the family, and her anger and bitterness are directed at anyone or anything (heirloom tomatoes!) in her path.
Nic and Jules encounter the same problems as many other families -- unspoken resentments, temptations, betrayal, the need for independence tempered by the tug of home, and the joy and tears of dropping a child at college.
A blend of drama and comedy, "Kids" is rated R for, among other reasons, strong sexual content and nudity, so don't expect a sanitized Hallmark movie. But do expect some insights about partners, parenthood and the line between bio-dad and late-in-life, flawed father.
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$540
