Oscar Watch: The Kids Are All Right

"The Kids Are All Right"
Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko
Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Bening), Best Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay


One of the advantages of this expanded best pic category is that films that won’t normally get nominated make the cut. While this includes sci-fi (“Inception”) and animation (“Toy Story 3”), it also includes funny, quality comedy like “The Kids Are All Right.” A comedy that then turns into a drama, but doesn’t quite lose its charm. The movie focuses around a homosexual couple (Bening and Moore) and their kids who are living a nice life, when everything changes when their sperm donor is sought out. It features deserved acting nods from Ruffalo (soon to hulk it out in “The Avengers”) and Bening, the plot moves along at a good pace, and it’s well directed and filmed. The editing and cinematography aren't exceptional, but I think this movie scores in its writing and acting. The acting is real, as any good drama should be, and you feel that the pain the characters are going through. The writing gives the the actors good material to work with, as well as a good deal of comedy earlier on in the movie.

Best picture worthy? Debatable, but far more than “Winter’s Bone,” to me. Worth watching? Sure. One day, though, I’d still like to see a straight up comedy like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” make it to the best pic category.