The Kids Are All Right (2010)

4/5

The Kids Are All Right is an indie slice-of-life movie about a lesbian couple--Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore)--whose children (Wasikowska, Hutcherson) decide they want to meet their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo). When they do, he instantly connects to the daughter while the son remains somewhat distant. Eventually he falls in both the kids' favor and they invite him over to meet their parents. Things get a little bit more confusing when Jules starts having sex with him.

As far as the acting goes, Annette Bening is phenomenal in a role that is understated and subtle. There are few flashes of anger, but you can tell her mood precisely by the smallest facial movements. She plays to perfection the entire life of a woman we only get to spend a few hours with, and we see the mistakes of her past and her thoughts of the future. She puts on display so much more than what is written in the script. As far as the script goes, it's good but not great. My big problem with it is the ending. It feels as if they were just shallowly writing everything off, or giving us a wry wink and nod and saying, "We know this movie isn't real and it doesn't matter what happens in the end." Either way, it really didn't satisfy me. I didn't feel any closure whatsoever. On the opposite end, the best thing about the script was its humor (far funnier than some other indie films like Margot at the Wedding).

With a title like The Kids Are All Right, it's begging for immature movie reviewers clamoring that the movie is just all right. But luckily I think it's more than that; it's entertaining, it's moving, it's funny. And it has some fantastic acting. I just wish it had an ending to match.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0842926/

American Beauty (1999)

5/5

There is only one movie I have seen more often than this one (The Usual Suspects) and that is because I didn't know time management back then. This movie showcases so many veteran actors at the top of their game, and newcomers standing their ground when they share the screen. Their work is made possible by a script that makes perfection itself jealous. The characters are real, not fictitious, and this is how they speak; their words aren't twisted to get quotable sentences in there. Everything about this movie is real. Mendes's direction is spectacular. The music (masterful in its own right) starts before the visuals of the last scene have ended, pushing the narrative onward and keeping you interested. The composition and framing work on a thematic level. In fact, every aspect of this movie keeps its theme first and foremost. "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it. And my heart is just going to cave in."
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0169547/