''The Kids Are All Right'' is a 2010 American comedy-drama film directed by Lisa Cholodenko and written by Cholodenko and

Stuart Blumberg Stuart Blumberg (born July 19, 1969) is an American screenwriter, actor, producer and director. Early life Blumberg grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and graduated from University School. He is of Jewish descent. He graduated from Yale University ...

. It is among the first mainstream movies to show a same-sex couple raising two teenagers. A hit at the 2010

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

, it opened in

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...

on July 9, 2010, expanded to more theaters on July 30, 2010, and was released on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

on November 16, 2010. The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Annette Bening was awarded the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestersh ...

. The film also received four Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, at the

83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles b ...

Plot

Nicole 'Nic' and Jules Allgood are a married same-sex couple living in the Los Angeles area. Nic is an obstetrician and Jules is a housewife who is starting a landscape design business. Each has given birth to a child using the same sperm donor. Nic and Jules' 16-year-old son Laser wants to find his biological father, but is too young to request that information from the sperm bank, so he asks his 18-year-old sister Joni to contact them. The sperm bank identifies Paul Hatfield, a restaurant owner, as the donor and shares his contact information. When the three meet, Joni is impressed by Paul's

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

lifestyle, and Paul becomes enthusiastic about being in their lives. Joni swears her brother to secrecy as she does not want to upset their mothers. However, Jules and Nic find out and invite Paul over to dinner. When Jules reveals she has a landscape business, Paul asks her to transform his back garden. Jules agrees, although Nic does not like the idea. Paul is appreciative of Jules' talent, something that Jules feels she is lacking from Nic. After Jules impulsively kisses Paul one afternoon, they end up in bed together and start an affair. As Jules and the kids start spending more time with Paul, Nic becomes apprehensive, believing Paul undermines her authority over the children. After a heated argument with Jules, Nic suggests they all have dinner at Paul's house to ease the tension. The dinner goes well until Nic discovers traces of Jules's hair in Paul's bathroom and bedroom. When confronted by Nic, Jules admits to the affair, but assures Nic that she is not in love with Paul and has not turned straight; she just wanted to be appreciated. Joni and Laser overhear the argument, causing the household to become tense. Paul, believing he has fallen in love with Jules, calls her to suggest that she leave Nic and come live with him, bringing the kids. Jules declines, disgusted with Paul's lack of understanding about her sexuality. The night before Joni leaves for college, Paul arrives at the Allgoods' house. He is rejected by Joni and angrily confronted by Nic. Laser ignores him as he tries to get his attention through the window. Later that night, Jules tearfully begs her family's forgiveness. The next morning, the family drives Joni to college. While Nic and Jules hug Joni goodbye, they also affectionately touch each other. During the ride home, Laser tells his mothers that they should not break up because they are too old. Jules and Nic laugh, and the film ends with them smiling at each other and holding hands.

Cast

* Annette Bening as Dr. Nicole 'Nic' Allgood, an

OB/GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

specialist and the principal

breadwinner The breadwinner model is a paradigm of family centered on a breadwinner, "the member of a family who earns the money to support the others." Traditionally, the earner works outside the home to provide the family with income and benefits such as h ...

of the family. She is Joni and Laser's mother and Jules's wife. She is the biological mother of Joni. Nic feels threatened when the children decide to bring Paul into their lives and worries he will disrupt the family dynamic. She is an

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

, but she eventually gives up alcohol. *

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

as Jules Allgood, the main homemaker who never had a formal career, but is starting a landscape design business. She is Joni and Laser's mother and Nic's wife. She is the biological mother of Laser. *

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

as Paul Hatfield, the free-spirited owner of an organic foods restaurant. He was the anonymous sperm donor for both children. * Mia Wasikowska as Joni Allgood, who has recently turned 18 and is set to leave for college. She is Laser's older sister and was named after

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

, Nic's favorite female singer. * Josh Hutcherson as Laser Allgood, the 15-year-old son who asks Joni to help him meet their biological father. *

Yaya DaCosta Camara DaCosta Johnson (born November 15, 1982), better known as Yaya DaCosta, is an American actress and model. She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of ''America's Next Top Model''. DaCosta eventually went to star in ABC's daytime drama series ''All ...

as Tanya, an employee and occasional lover of Paul. *

Eddie Hassell Lord Ed Taylor Hassell (July 16, 1990 – November 1, 2020) was an American actor. His most notable role was the 2013 film '' Jobs'', where he played the young Chris Espinosa. Life and career Born in Corsicana, Texas, Hassell grew up riding ...

as Clay, a friend of Laser who Nic and Jules think is unstable. * Zosia Mamet as Sasha, a close friend of Joni. * Kunal Sharma as Jai, a close friend and love interest of Joni. * James Macdonald as Clay's Dad

Production

Lisa Cholodenko and Blumberg began outlining the script in late 2004, based in part on some aspects of her life. The project was helped to get off the ground by the caliber of actors who agreed to join, first

, followed by

and Annette Bening. Cholodenko stated "People really admired what Stuart lumbergand I got on the page but there was a fear factor regarding how the film was going to make money, as the subject matter is tricky." The film nearly got the green-light in 2006, but Cholodenko postponed the project after she became pregnant by way of an anonymous sperm donor. After giving birth, she resumed work on the film and won financing from three major investors, including the French distributor UGC. Principal photography was completed in 23 days in Los Angeles in July 2009. The film was made for approximately $4 million. The filmmakers rushed to finish the post-production in time for the

, where it was admitted after the deadline for competitive entries. On January 25, 2010 the film had its premiere, becoming one of the festival's breakout hits. A few days later,

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in the U ...

acquired the distribution rights for $4.8 million. At the 60th Berlinale the film won a Teddy Award. The film closed the 2010 Sydney Film Festival and opened the

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, epis ...

Reception

Box office

Opening in

at seven theaters, ''The Kids Are All Right'' grossed $491,971 in its first weekend. At $70,282 per theater, the film scored the highest average gross in 2010 as of mid-July 2010. It expanded to 38 theaters on July 16, then 201 on July 23, and finally 847 on July 30. , the film grossed a total of $34,758,951 worldwide.

Critical response

The film was released to wide acclaim from critics, with Bening receiving widespread praise for her performance. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 227 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's consensus is that "Worthwhile as both a well-acted ensemble piece and as a smart, warm statement on family values, ''The Kids Are All Right'' is remarkable."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 86 based on 39 reviews, with the film in the "universal acclaim" category. Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars out of 4 and wrote, "''The Kids Are All Right'' centers on a lesbian marriage, but is not about one. It's a film about marriage itself, an institution with challenges that are universal. Just imagine: You're expected to live much, if not all, of your married life with another adult. We're not raised for this." The film appeared on 39 critics' top ten movie lists for the year 2010. Anthony Quinn of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' and Elizabeth Weitzman of the ''Daily News'' both listed it as the best film of the year, and four other critics picked it as the second best movie of the year. Annette Bening won the

, and the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Nominations were also given to Julianne Moore for Best Actress and Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg for Best Screenplay. Moore and Bening were both nominated for the

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film. * From 1952 t ...

, and Mark Ruffalo was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Cholodenko and Blumberg were also nominees for Best Original Screenplay. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the

. Bening and Ruffalo were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Cholodenko and Blumberg were also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Laura Rosenthal and Liz Dean won the Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature – Studio or Independent Comedy, given by the

Casting Society of America The Casting Society, formerly known as Casting Society of America (CSA), was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 as a professional society of about 1,200 casting directors and associate casting directors for film, television, theatre, and ...

Top ten lists

''The Kids Are All Right'' was listed on many critics' top 10 lists. * 1st – Michael Phillips, ''Chicago Tribune'' * 1st – Elizabeth Weitzman, ''New York Daily News'' * 1st – Rafer Guzmán, ''Newsday'' * 2nd –

Lisa Schwarzbaum Lisa Schwarzbaum (born July 5, 1952) is an American film critic. She joined ''Entertainment Weekly'' as a film critic in the 1990s and remained there until February 2013. Career She has been featured on CNN, co-hosted '' Siskel & Ebert at the Mo ...

and

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

, ''Entertainment Weekly'' * 2nd – Joe Neumaier, ''New York Daily News'' * 2nd – Anne Thompson and Caryn James, ''Indiewire'' * 3rd –

Ty Burr Ty Burr (born August 17, 1957) is an American film critic, columnist, and author who currently writes a film and popular culture newsletter "Ty Burr's Watchlist" on Substack. Burr previously served as film critic at ''The Boston Globe'' for two ...

, ''Boston Globe'' * 3rd – Lisa Kennedy, ''Denver Post'' * 4th – Richard Roeper, ''Chicago Sun-Times'' * 4th – David Ansen, ''Newsweek'' * 4th – Betsy Sharkey, ''Los Angeles Times'' * 5th – Peter Travers, ''Rolling Stone'' * 5th –

A.O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...

, ''The New York Times'' * 6th – Gregory Ellwood, HitFix * 7th – Joshua Rothkopf, ''Time Out New York'' * 7th –

Phillip French Phillip French II (c. February 13, 1666/7 – c. June 3, 1707) was the 27th Mayor of New York City from 1702 to 1703. Early life French was born in Suffolk, England, and was sometimes known as Philip French Van London. He was the son of Phillip ...

, ''The Observer'' * 8th – Ann Hornaday, ''Washington Post'' * 8th –

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

, ''The New York Times'' * 8th – Kirk Honeycutt, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' * 9th –

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, ''Chicago Sun-Times'' * 9th – Todd McCarthy, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' * 9th – Mick LaSalle, ''San Francisco Chronicle'' * 10th – Peter Knegt, ''Indiewire'' * 10th – Andrew O'Hehir, ''Salon.com'' * Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Joe Morgenstern, ''The Wall Street Journal'' * Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Carrie Rickey and

Steven Rea Steven Rea (also known as Steven X. Rea) is an American journalist, film critic,

, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' * Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Dana Stevens, ''Slate'' The screenplay was ranked the 21st best American screenplay of the 21st century in

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

, with Jude Dry praising the script as "a witty and artful take on contemporary family life. Bitingly clever and unafraid to take unexpected turns".

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kids Are All Right, The 2010 comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films 2010 films 2010 independent films 2010 LGBT-related films American comedy-drama films American independent films American LGBT-related films Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners Female bisexuality in film Films about threesomes Films directed by Lisa Cholodenko Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance Films scored by Carter Burwell Films set in California Focus Features films LGBT-related comedy-drama films Lesbian-related films Mandalay Pictures films Same-sex marriage in film Films about marriage Films about parenting 2010s American films