“The Kids Are All Right,” a film where Julianne Moore and Annette Bening play lesbian mothers, has been getting a lot of buzz. Here’s hoping that the good parts were left out of these six clips — otherwise, moviegoers will experience a movie that just feels like one long, really awkward moment.
In the movie, Jules (Moore) and Nic (Bening) have two kids, Joni (Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), who want to find out more about their father — the unknown man who donated sperm so Jules and Nic could have a family. After the kids seek out Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the family tries to get to know him.
In the “Fecund” clip, Jules and Paul are trying to figure out what to do with the backyard. While Jules sprouts out ideas (“Secret Garden,” “Asian minimal,” or a “lush, overgrown, fecund” space), Paul stays pretty silent, until Jules says, “I just keep seeing my kids’ expressions in your face.”
Jules and Nic discuss how they came together in the “How Did You Meet” clip. Nic explains she was a resident at UCLA when Jules came into the ER with a numb tongue. The women get flirty remembering their meet cute; Paul and the kids just look uncomfortable.
Joni complains how mom Nic treats her like a 12-year-old when she and Paul are working in the garden in “It’s Her Job.” Paul wisely tells Joni, “If you want things to be different, you gotta make that happen yourself. That’s your job.”
In “So Paul,” Nic acknowledges that Paul works in the food services industry and remembers that his sperm donor profile said he was studying international relations. Paul said he quit college: “It just wasn’t my thing… a massive waste of money.” He said he was just “sitting on my ass, listening to people spout ideas I could have just as easily learned in a book.” Nic doesn’t seem to like this response, probably because Joni will be heading to college soon.
Paul wants to find out what Joni and Laser do for fun in “Team Sports.” Laser, a big athlete, plays basketball, soccer and baseball. Paul said he played basketball in junior high but he’s not that into team sports. Father and son seem to have different opinions on the topic.
And finally, in “We Support You,” Jules and Nic show they have suspicions that Laser is in a new, secret relationship. Laser said he’s only seen “him” once, which makes Jules and Nic think Laser is gay. (“Did he find you online?” Jules asks). But Laser then explains he and Joni have sought out their father.
Although the plot for the movie sounds intriguing and the featured actors are certainly top notch, the clips released don’t show anything too interesting. Here’s hoping they’re saving the best scenes for when audiences hit the theaters.
“The Kids Are All Right” will be released on July 9.
. . .
Follow Amanda Koehler on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AEKoehler.
I’m excited for this one!