The Kids Are All Right

People have compared this to sitcoms to death so let me partake. While watching this, I thought, 'this could easily be a very special episode of "Full House",' and then I thought, 'I wish this was a very special episode of "Full House."' I'll save the preaching about how "Full House" is a wonderful slice of familial fantasy and boneheadedness for another occasion, but really, this thing has a tendency to come off as pat bullshit quite often. It's interesting to note that according to Annette Benning she told the director that she didn't want it to come across as too earnest, which is an honorable position, but what other than its lesbian leads differentiates this from a myriad of other dysfunctional family dramas(that might actually be the point; a family with two mothers and no fathers can be just as bland as any other)? Well, good acting for one, but not from the two actresses portraying those said lesbian leads. Benning and Moore just seem to cry a lot. Mark Ruffalo, however, is great just for the sheer gusto he displays when he gets the opportunity to say, "Shut the front door." Mia Wasikowska is also quite good at being pissy and angsty as the teenaged daughter. The biggest fault with the film is its reluctance to dive in when things get messy. It seemed as if the screenwriters didn't want to tread that water just because they'd be afraid of possibly drowning in it and instead, conclude on a rather dry and boring note. Despite its simplistic nature, the hint at messiness has still made the film stick with me for some reason.