‘The Kids Are Alright’ stars Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as a married lesbian couple raising two teenagers. Their identity as a family unit is challenged when the kids contact and befriend their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo), and then further challenged when Moore’s character starts humping him. This film has taken some criticism from both sides of the spectrum, with some charging that it is not a positive portrayal of lesbians, and others asserting that it glorifies the lifestyle. Both sides are wrong.
What makes this film good is that it provides the audience with a funny and sometimes moving portrait of what I think most people might consider an alternative lifestyle without pushing an agenda. It’s sad that many moviegoers want to simply have their own belief systems affirmed, rather than be presented with a complex portrayal that may challenge some of their beliefs and perhaps affirm others. Any movie that provides insight into how others live without forcing an agenda is worth seeing, so I recommend this film which is now playing at E Street Cinema.
One bit of insight I gleaned from this movie is the pressure on same-sex couples who are raising children. When a heterosexual couple raises a kid who turns out to be a complete mess, some blame the parents and some don’t. But if a same-sex couple has a kid who becomes a delinquent, it is an indictment on an entire lifestyle, and that’s not really fair. This movie demonstrates how both moms, Bening in particular, tend to overcompensate and smother, but essentially they are just both being motherly.
The film also bravely addresses the role of the sperm donor and takes on two important social issues. While a sperm donor can hardly be considered a parent, blood is blood, and kids are going to be curious about their blood ties and should be allowed to explore them. The second is what role a male should fill in this type of relationship. Moore’s affair with the sperm donor serves as a metaphor for the need of some kind of male presence within this family unit.
The issue of a male presence in the lives of children is hardly unique to lesbian couples, and there are plenty of examples where it does not seem to have much of an impact on a child. But there are some examples to the contrary, the best are from the world of sports. We see these incredibly strong, dynamic men like Terrell Owens and LeBron James, who on the surface epitomize classic manliness. Yet, their behavior, their need to be the center of attention and the belief that they can do no wrong, makes these men seem oddly effeminate. It’s not a pejorative, moms traditionally affirm how special and unique their child is. Dad is there to put a foot in your ass when you fail to meet an obligation, and these men never had that.
Overall, good movie and it does address these issues and others very well, and I think affirms the authenticity and legitimacy of a family with two moms.
Via: examiner.com