''The Kids Are All Right'' is a comedy film about a lesbian couple who conceived a daughter and son through anonymous sperm donation. As teenager, both kids set out to connect that man, and the introduction of the biological into the lives of the family members changes things in unexpected ways. The movie opens in wide release today. 95% of RottenTomatoes.com critics have given it a favorable review which is pretty remarkable for any movie.
The film stars Julianne Moore and Annette Benning, with Mark Ruffalo as the sperm donor. Moore has been featured in a number of gay-themed films including "A Single Man," "Far From Heaven," and "The Hours."
''The Kids Are All Right'' is directed and co-written by Lisa Cholodenko who tells NPR that she was outed as a lesbian by her mother when she was 17. Cholodenko also directed ''High Art'' and ''Laurel Canyon.'' (NPR)
''I was about to try to start getting pregnant and I was in the position that the women in the film are in — which is I was with my partner thinking: How are we going to do this? Are we going to do it with a friend? Get a sperm donor? We were starting to go through the inventory of feelings we had about that and started looking into finding a sperm donor. It just sort of sparked this meditation: What would happen eighteen years later? What would that look like?''
Director Lisa Cholodenko explaining how she came up with the idea for her new film, ''The Kids Are All Right.'' She tells NY Magazine that the film is not political, but it takes on an importance because of arguments about gay parenting being used to pass laws like California's Proposition 8. (NYMag.com)
