THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Lisa Chodolenko)

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Now I forsake Christopher Nolan for the time being. Lisa Chodolenko (who also directs) and Stuart Blumberg should win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is so hilarious, you'd roll over with the subtle sight gags and the sarcastic, witty script. Annette Bening is electrifying.

This is a film for mature audiences, but liberal-minded parents can show this one to their adolescent children so they can get a grasp of the complex dramas of modern family life. Just watch out and guide your kids through some graphic, graphic sex scenes. 

The story revolves around the characters of Julianne Moore and Annette Bening who play a lesbian couple, each of them impregnated through artificial insemination, using the same sperm specimen. Their kids, now grown-ups (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) get curious about their "father" so they track him out, and when the "donor" (Mark Ruffalo) comes along, the family's placid life spins out of control. 

Chodolenko's film is a very funny portrait of an unconventional family, which is also tender and moving at times when it needs to be. What makes the film worthy of our attention is its absence of judgment on its subject characters, particularly Moore and Bening, and its discussion of some the issues parents nowadays have to deal with. 

While the film touches on some social taboos, it is also grounded in reality-it does not project preposterous scenarios nor does it paint a fairy tale. Family is highly emphasized, and the subject of forgiveness is treated with caution. 

In empowering women in general, attributing them the right to life choices, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT also gets us out of our comfort zones,  showing us a "WHAT IF" premise, and taking us all along for the ride. And it is a ride worth taking. 

And to judgmental people, Bening's character Nic has this to say: "Yeah? Well I need your observations like I need a dick in my ass!" 

RATING: 5/5

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