The Kids are alright

Much like the titular kids, this film is alright! (I am going to published on a one sheet one day, I don't care how sad I sound). I don't feel like doing a whole rundown but here's some quick thoughts:

Plot

The story follows a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Benning) who have two children from an anonymous sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) The oldest daughter is about to go off to college, and decides to contact the donor; whose introduction into the family's life brings complications (to say the least).

The Good

Even though the concept sounds a bit pretentious, the film avoids any smugness that I was a little afraid of when I saw the trailer. It also has a nice sense of humor (I laughed out loud several times), and is well acted. I also like how it managed not to get all preachy about the fact that we were dealing with a lesbian relationship, and just treated the dynamic like any other family (albeit an unconventional one). Finally, I appreciated the way the film didn't try to give a tidy ending to all the characters, and made it clear that all the conflict that occurred was going to have very real repercussions for the rest of their lives.

The Bad

This is going to be a bit spoilery, but I really felt that having Moore have an affair with Ruffalo was unnecessary, and kind of a lazy way to exacerbate the instability in her relationship with Benning. I think the film could have been just as effective if it stayed focused on the way that Ruffalo's introduction was disturbing the family dynamic (for Benning's character in particular) and not felt the need to introduce such a heavy handed, distracting, denouement. That said I think the whole situation was handled with more restraint that it certainly could have been, which made it more tolerable.

One more note: I though Ruffalo's character was a bit under written towards the end and I think that the film didn't know what to do with him by the end.

The Ugly

Your face