“This film eluded me all summer. It was the only indie I was really interested in, but JCS kept me from getting out to the theater. I’d pretty much accepted the fact that it was gonna hafta wait fo the DVD. I’d actually intended to go see Howl today, but then I figured if today’s movie watching was gonna involve a bit of a trek, why not go all out and head over to the Kendall for this one. As a bonus, I got to have dinner at CBC which meant A) I got that burger that I’ve been jonesing for all week and 2) a pint of their pumpkin ale which is my absolute fave beer. And it also worked out cause I could use one of my Weekly Cinema tickets (its this really cool deal where you pay a certain amount a month, then get X amount of movie tickets for that month. They work out to about 5-6 bucks a piece. Lemme know if you want more info, cause I think I get a referral bonus). Howl’s at Coolidge Corner which wouldnt work for that.
Sadly, I think this one suffered a little bit from over-hype, or at least overanticipation on my part. I know I know, I always \m/ do this to myself. I get sooooo excited about a film that’s supposed to be soooooooo amazing, and if its anything less I get grumpy. It was good. Really good. But something felt off. I think I expected it to be different, but Im not entirely sure what it was I expected. I still cant quite figure that out.
Two things drew me to this movie. One was the Oscar buzz earning cast. More on them later. The other was just the premise itself, for many reasons. The idea of the “”modern family”” is very interesting to me. I come from a very traditional family, and that is something I very much want for myself, but I do realize that doesnt have to be the only kind of family out there. Also, Im very much a hag. I have a collection of gay boys whom I love and adore, and I wouldn’t hesitate to kill for them. Therefore, Im often drawn to gay characters (Case in point, Kurt is my fave Glee kid. No question). Seriously, I get kinda annoyed with your typical rom-com hetero storyline, but give me a homo storyline and Im jumping up and down squealing (first example that comes to mind is Will & Grace when Taye Diggs guest starred as a love interest for Will).
So yes, the story was unique and compelling, and was flawlessly acted. Walking out of there, I absolutely adored Julianne Moore. From early on in the film, I was thinking that I would totally love to have her as my mom. But then in discussing with my roomie on the walk to CBC, I realized just how nuanced Annette Bening’s performance was. It must have been really difficult to maintain just enough of a sympathetic edge, rather than becoming a totally hated character at times. Definitely will be seeing those wonderful women wandering ’round during awards season. Mark Ruffalo was also quite impressive. I think he’s just been waiting for meatier and meatier roles, and this is certainly a step in the right direction for him.
Getting sleepy now. Go see this movie if you wanna get a jump on Oscar season
The Kids Are All Right – \m/ \m/ \m/