This film runs 106 minutesReleased in limited release July 9 and ‘more theatres’ on July 30, never hitting ‘wide release’Hit DVD and blu ray Nov 16Winner of 2 Golden Globes including Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, and Best FILM Comedy or MusicalOscar gave nods for Best Pic, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original ScreenplayAverages 95% on Rotten Tomatoes by Critics (ie- not rotten), but only 74% by Audiences) The Kids Are All Right is the diversity/indie Oscar competitor and it’s not all right- it’s actually quite good. Although it won ‘best comedy or musical’ at the Globes, I definitely view it as more of a charming honest drama. Going in with this view point would better set you up for the few great chuckles as opposed to disappoint with the absence of constant belly laughs. Similar to the feel of It’s Complicated, it’s very vulnerable- these could be real people. In short, the movie tells the tale of a family where the kids are brought into the world through a sperm donor. At 18 and 15, the kids decide to meet their sperm dad and suddenly the dad becomes part of the family in good ways and in bad. There are fights, tears, hugs and laughs and even a moment of some classy gay porn. A redefinition of “the family movie”.Now, from most of the media and buzz, audiences tend to view this film with the moms as the focus point for the story. Annette Benning and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple (the parents) with such honesty that it feels real (thus the award nominations and wins- makes sense). Because it feels like a real family, it’s easy to feel for them and the complications. Some things we see are generally private, or if they do happen on film there is such a ‘creative flare’ to the moment that it’s more polished than grounded and feels totally distant from reality. There are no heros or villains here, only flawed people with good intentions just like reality. The message circles around the idea that even the best intentions hurt people but sometimes you just need to accept those mistakes and those flaws and grow from it, and you’ll be all right. The indie’ish feel to the movie brings that more raw honest edge that really compliments the story, the film’s attitude and the actors. With the big conflict and the resolution, there isn’t this ‘Hollywood sigh of happiness’, which is refreshing but… odd. The exact perfect thing isn’t said. There isn’t that airport run or perfect speech with the right music at the end where you know everything is wonderful. But you know that everything is going to be all right.Instead of focusing on the parents, I challenge you to turn your lens to seeing the story from the kids’ view totally and seeing the star power parents as the supporting cast. The kids, played by Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Josh Hutcherson (Journey to the Centre of the Earth), stand their ground well and are the core to the film. Awesome kid actors. The title of the film will make a lot more sense if you see things from their perspective as you watch them go through ups and downs and- quite possibly— they turn out all right.In the Oscar race, I wish this was the little movie that could, but I don’t know. It’s different. There is something to talk about after the film is done. It’s great to see a movie about lesbian parents getting so much attention. It speaks to the more modern families- that no matter what, parenting challenges arise. It’s nice to see sexual diversities play out as “normal” and for that not to be the main focus ( It’s odd that it never went wide release- I wonder how much the ‘lesbian impact’ came into effect). There is never a moment of “oh wow, you have lesbian parents! How weird!”. Big props to that. It’s a bit rough around the edges and although it has incredible heart, it doesn’t seem to be able to hold up enough presence on its own. It might squeak in for Best Screenplay. For best actress, Benning is Natalie Portman’s biggest opponent. I didn’t mention Mark Ruffalo because I didn’t really like his character (you’ll see…. errr… but! Props to him because I see Ruffalo as the character, so there was great acting there).This is out on dvd and blu ray- get out there and check it out. Just be prepared to feel something.