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The Kids Are All Right starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore & Mark Ruffalo

Posted on April 17, 2011 Written by ripitup

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The Kids Are All Right starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore & Mark Ruffalo
The Kids Are All Right starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore & Mark Ruffalo. Image via rizecity.com

 

Plot

Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) have been together a long time. Despite their own issues, and the issues of their two teenage kids Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), they are managing. But when Laser decides to find their sperm donor dad Paul (Mark Ruffalo) with the help of Joni, things get way out of hand:  The kids really like their fun, laid-back dad – and he is a true contrast to their over-controlling mom Nic. To make things worse, Jules likes Paul too. And when Paul hires Jules to design his garden, things get even more complicated as something starts between them. How much of a change can a modern, 21st century family can take?

**

Review – with Spoilers

The bad:

–          The actions of characters & the depicting of characters:

 

The Kids Are All Right is an all right film, although it is a bit overrated. It has its moments and the acting is fine.

 

It’s the story and how the characters are shown that I have a problem with. We have a lesbian couple who get turned on by watching gay men porn. They tell us, and Laser, that human sexuality is complicated and we try to roll with that. But never at any point Jules thinks she is bisexual. Yet she jumps Paul’s bones almost the first moment they are alone together. Then she has sex with him again. But we are supposed to buy that she is %100 gay. Fine. And while Julianne Moore can be quite pretty when she wants to be, she doesn’t quite have a moment of attractiveness, or even really femininity at this film. I’ll never know how the ever hot-blooded Paul, who all the straight women around him are either trying to bed or are already bedding, found in Jules. OK. So let’s suppose he is all hormones and no ethics- that he will jump any woman when given the chance. But we have him falling for Jules. What the…?

 

And yes, of course Nic eventually finds out. And she goes ballistic. But interestingly, she is more mad at Paul. The kids are more mad at Paul. They treat him like a total disappointment. And while he is not the ideal father figure, he is kind, and warm-hearted and he did welcome the kids into his life, no questions asked. It’s Jules who was married, who cheated on their mom and yet it is Paul who ends up alone.

 

I never quite get it when people become more angry at the other man/woman rather than their own spouse. Yes, the other person showed total ill judgment sleeping with a married person, but he/she is not the one who married you. He/she is not the one who cheated on you. I always think that if you are not going to be equally angry, you are supposed to be angrier at the person who actually had responsibilities about you.  Jules got another chance. Despite how naïve and weird he is, Paul deserved one too.

–          Sex is reduced to just animal sex. Did we really need to see that much of Mark Ruffalo humping around?

The good:

–          The acting is really good. Not just by Bening, Moore and Ruffalo, but the kids did a great job too. I’ll enjoy watching them in other movies.

–          It is funny how Jules and Nic were thinking that their son might be gay and they were actually disappointed that he wasn’t, but he had found his dad.

–          Paul’s overall reactions to the event. “I love lesbians” reaction when he found out both Nic and Jules gave birth to one child of his and that they were together.

 

 

Worth Watching?

–          If you are a fan of the actors, and can’t resist the Oscar buzz ( the movie was nominated for 4 Oscars – Best Actress for Annette Bening, Best Supporting Actor for Ruffalo, Best Film and Best Screenplay, though it received none of the awards), it won’t bore you. It might annoy and disappoint you a bit, but I don’t think you will regret the time you put into it. But while it has some potential, there is a big chance it won’t be listed in your best movie experiences.

Directed and co-written by Lisa Cholodenko. Made in 2010. Currently 7.3 on IMDB.com

Fun notes:

This isn’t the only movie Moore does something against her character’s suggested sexuality. In Chloe, she is supposedly straight , married to Liam Neeson. She suspects her husband is cheating on her. But in the end, she ends up cheating on him- with a woman.

Also on Julianne Moore

Benny and Joon starring Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn, Mary Stuart Masterson and Julianne Moore

Shelter starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers

The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones

Laws of Attraction and Pierce Brosnan feat. Julianne Moore

Chloe starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried

Also on Mark Ruffalo

Just Like Heaven starring Mark Ruffalo & Reese Witherspoon

Mark Ruffalo Trivia

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Annette Bening, comedy, drama, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, mark ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, movies, the kids are all right, the kids are all right movie

Regarding Henry starring Harrison Ford and Annette Bening

Posted on June 3, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Regarding Henry starring Harrison Ford and Annette Bening
Regarding Henry starring Harrison Ford and Annette Bening. Image from http://www.landrethonline.com/Gerry%27s%20Movies/images/4499f.jpg

Henry Turner (Harrison Ford) is a successful and ambitious lawyer who doesn’t really care much about right or wrong. He is not exactly an affectionate man and although he seems to be getting along OK with his wife Sarah (Annette Bening), he is stern and not really loving towards his 12-year-old daughter Rachel.

One day things change completely when Henry gets shot in the head during a robbery. He doesn’t remember who he is. Moreover, he can’t (remember how to) walk or talk. Sarah does his best to help him out. Henry’s best friend becomes Bradley (Bill Nunn)- the physical therapist who is literally teaching how to get back on his feet. When Henry recovers, his speech and walking go back to normal while he still doesn’t remember who he is. He goes back to live with his family. He tries to figure out who he is and he gets to know more and more about his old self, he doesn’t really like what he finds out. As he reconstructs his life, he is a loving and modest fan. And although his family adores the new Henry, his boss, friends and colleagues aren’t all that thrilled and more complications will get in Henry’s way.

Regarding Henry is a wonderful emotional journey with touching performances from all of the cast, especially Ford, Bening and Mikki Allen who plays the daughter. The story is wonderfully humane. For the first time in my movie-watching years, this is the movie that made me a true admirer for Harrison Ford’s talent as an actor. Sure, he is a great action hero and I was pleasantly surprised by him in Six Days Seven Nights, where he showed more comedic talent. But here Ford shows an entirely different side. His role starts as arrogant, cold, charismatic and confident. He then goes through a bewildered adjusting process where his character gains innocence. Later he is eager to learn and love and makes for a great transition. It is always a pleasure to watch Bening on screen and Mikki Allen is really good as Rachel. It is a film by Mike Nichols who loves directing different genres. Remember his Wolf? Or Closer? The fact that this story is written by J.J Abrams (creator of shows Lost and Alias) may be a surprise for Lost fans. After all, this story has no mystery, suspense or action. It is all about life, feelings, family and love. But for those of you who have seen 1992’s Forever Young (starring Mel Gibson, Elijah Wood and Jamie Lee Curtis) will make perfect sense- as that timeless romance/comedy/sci-fi  as it was also written by J.J. Abrams certainly can create and write great stories, regardless of the genre.

Regarding Henry is a 1991 movie, rated 6.5 on IMDB- voted by over 12.600 people. I will admit that it is not one of the most impressive or original scripts ever written but this doesn’t change the fact that this is one solid and heart-warming film. I think it deserves a 7, at the very least. Oh, obviously, do stay away if you don’t enjoy drama.

Harrison Ford Movie Reviews:

Six Days Seven Nights

Firewall

Air Force One

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Annette Bening, Bill Nunn, drama, Harrison Ford, J.J. Abrams, Mike Nichols, movies, Regarding Henry

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