The Kids Are All Right vs The War Of The Roses

I don’t envy casting directors who have to pair up movie stars into believable on-screen marriages, especially if it’s supposed to be a. long-term; b. passably middle class; and c. happy. Oh, and d. lesbians.

The Kids are All Right succeeds on all four levels. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as Jules and Nic, a couple well into their second decade of domesticity and parenthood. Nic is a doctor who thrives on structure, organization, tradition and a bottomless glass of red wine. Jules is more of a free spirit, hoping to open up a landscape design business. We get the idea that Jules has bounced from career to career, jumping ship when things get hard. She’s probably really enthusiastic at the start of an idea, but less so when the work starts. She’s the kind of person who’s fun to get drunk with, but then the next day, she shows up for that ride to the airport you promised her, or to borrow your couch for that short film your co-directing. Nic and Jules have a strong relationship though, because Jules’ freewheeling attitude balances out Nic’s need for rules, and vice-versa. Also strengthening their bond is the obvious fact that they’re in love, and that they share their home with their two teenagers, Joni and…ugh, Laser.

They named their kid Laser, everybody. Laser. Okay, I’ve done what I can to establish Nic and Jules as down-to-earth and lovely, but they’re also New Agey and in touch with themselves in a way that is very Oprah, in which everything is acknowledged and open and talked about and healthy and fair. It’s borderline obnoxious, it’s mostly hilarious, and every word of it, somehow, rang true.

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is turning eighteen, and at the urging of Laser (Josh Hutcherson) decides to contact their birth father (Jules and Nic each gave birth to a baby, and used the same donor for each). The father in question is Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a restaurant owner who is, in his laid-back success, the perfect mix of Nic and Jules. If they were into guys, he’s probably the kind they’d go for, with varying results.

Paul is surprised to hear from Joni, but agrees to see her (he’s so casual about that, and everything, that you just know those kids are gonna love him, and that he’s trouble, and that he’s making the movie better). Paul is more of a cool, big-brotherly presence, especially to Laser. The initial couple meetings with the kids are funny and sweet. There are no sitcom-style misunderstandings or hijinks, just people getting to know each other. Paul is streetwise, and drives a motorcycle, and has the hottest girlfriend ever captured on film. I’m exaggerating, but just barely. Yaya DeCosta is beautiful—capital B Beautiful—and makes a big impression in a small part. Hang on while I check her imdb page. She’s in the new Tron movie! Yeah, yeah, 3-D, glow-in-the-dark, whatever. I’m seeing that shit for Yaya.

Eventually, the truth about the kids meeting their father has to come out, and is met with suspicion from the mothers. They invite him over for dinner, and as Nic probably could have predicted, he’s aimless and immature. But, he’s also got a design job for Jules, and those kids sure seem to love him, so Paul assumes sort of a friend-of-the-family role, tentatively, like he’s a new neighbor who made an okay-but-not-great first impression.

And man, I need to stop right there. The Kids Are All Right progresses much of its plot based on the realism of the family dynamic, and the lived-in feel of the marriage, home, and even costumes. However, The Kids Are All Right isn’t just a slice-of-life comedy. There’s a pretty big plot twist, complete with a dark change in tone. The kids are all right, but I’m not so sure the adults are gonna make it.

Do I have to go into how good the acting is in this thing? Come on. Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo are perfectly chosen and create characters who make believable, if not advisable, choices. Bening’s Nic feels like a mother to everyone, I think, giving her the most guard to let down in terms of this new arrival into the family. Bening has a scene at a dinner table, in which she sings her favorite song. She goes on maybe a line too far, to the point that the other characters are a little embarrassed and concerned for her, but her heart is so open she’s undeniable. That moment is followed by another, one with a harsh realization that Nic decides to conceal. For the entire scene, Bening is the focus; she’s practically the only one with lines, and she delivers. Moore is, I think, even better, possibly because her character is looser, funnier, easier-going. She’s the fuck-up of the family (in a family containing a teenager named Laser, that’s saying something), and is constantly having to backtrack and apologize for her words and deeds. She’s a trip, and manages to convince us that acting out in her own self-interest might ultimately be good for her family.

Oh, and the kids are all right too. Mia Wasikowska almost makes me wish I’d seen Alice in Wonderland. Almost.

The Kids Are All Right was directed by Lisa Cholodenko, who usually creates characters that are more interesting than the movies in which they appear. With The Kids Are All Right, she’s got a premise to go with it. The set-up, of meeting the sperm-donor and the chaos that ensues, could have veered dangerously close to sitcom territory—and at times it almost does—but Cholodenko’s steadfast in keeping everything grounded, even when the comedy could easily have taken over. I’m guessing she’s the Nic in her household.

The War of the Roses is also about a believable movie star marriage. Even more impressive though, it’s about a believable movie star marriage that’s ending. It’s one thing to make us fall for the love of the couple; it’s quite another to make us care that it’s ending. And The War of the Roses does so, hilariously, in its own, vicious, cold-hearted way.

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are Oliver and Barbara Rose, who fall in love almost immediately based on a shared love of antiques and acrobatic sex. They struggle financially at first, but they have love, and two kids, and are happy. Eventually, Oliver finds professional success, Barbara finds their dream house, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re not quite as happy. You know how it is once you realize you aren’t happy: you dwell on the idea of being unhappy until you become miserable. And then, you begin to relish the idea of being miserable, until you’re bitter. Barbara and Oliver get there in about fifteen minutes.

Sometimes she just wants to smash his face in. And he calls her on it. So she does.

For the last hour or so, The War of the Roses is a dark, bitter, violent movie, revolving around nothing besides Oliver and Barbara’s mutual hatred for each other. Neither has found a new love, or much to move on to. She wants the house because she found, decorated, and ran it like a business for years. He wants the house because she wants it. And both would rather see it destroyed than belong to the other. And so they argue, scheme, beg, and eventually stage an all-out war of the you know what.

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner rock in The War of the Roses. It’s obvious the movie was fun to make, but none of it is presented lightly, or as any kind of satire or send-up. Danny DeVito directed (and plays a supporting part), with a mix of Hitchcockian camera angles and his own sick sense of humor. The ending, if you haven’t heard, is maybe the least cop-out American comedy ending…ever? I’m sure there are some viewers who find The War of the Roses overly cynical and cold. In fact, that could be the primary reason Kathleen Turner’s performance isn’t mentioned more often (She does some heinous things, but I think she maintains her humanity throughout. Also, Kathleen Turner circa 1989? Holy cow. Her line reading of “woof” is almost reason enough by itself to see the movie.)  But I’m recommending this with a serious heart-warmer. You’ll be all snuggly after The Kids Are All Right, and you need something to toughen you back up. If The War of the Roses doesn’t chill your heart back down, you may be a lost cause.

The Kids Are All Right: A-

The War of the Roses: A