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The Kids Are All Right [DVD]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

The son of a same-sex couple seeks out the sperm donor who made his birth possible in this comedy from writer/director Lisa Cholodenko. The committed parents of two teenage children, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), are about to send their daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), off to college when her younger brother, Laser (Josh Hutcherson), asks for her help in tracking down his biological father. Reluctantly inquiring with the sperm bank, Joni leaves her number so the office can pass it along to Laser's father. Enthusiastic at the thought of meeting his long lost offspring, Paul (Mark Ruffalo) musters the courage to reach out, and the family tree grows a new branch.
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Credits

Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore
Critic Reviews

3 stars out of 5 -- "THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is a crowd-pleasing, feel-good comedy for an era in which the very definition of 'family' is fluid and in flux."
Box Office
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Cholodenko keeps it raw and touching humane....It's irresistible."
Rolling Stone
"Guided by an outstanding script, everyone is able to go deep into her or his character. Particular huzzahs are due Bening for the precision she brings to the brusque yet emotionally expressive Nic." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly
"Moore and Bening are superb actors here, evoking a marriage of more than 20 years, and all of its shadings and secrets, idealism and compromise....The film gives them convincing, intelligent dialogue..."
Chicago Sun-Times
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Witty, urbane and thoroughly entertaining, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is an ode to the virtues of family....[W]ith peerless performances, lyrical direction and an adventurous script..."
Los Angeles Times
"[A] thrillingly funny and casually profound film....The film plays fair with love in its myriad forms..."
Wall Street Journal
"Cholodenko's casually observant style perfectly matches the cast's thoughtful work..." -- Grade: A-
A.V. Club
3 stars out of 4 -- "[The film] captures the drama of growth and separation in all its exhilaration and heartache....Just about everyone who has a parent, child or partner will find resonance in its bittersweet depiction of the joys and trials of lifelong intimacy."
Washington Post