People Who Matter:
Annette Benning: Nic
Julianne Moore: Jules
Mark Ruffalo: Paul
Mia Wasikowska: Joni
Josh Hutcherson: Laser
Much ado has been made about the fact that this film involves a middle-aged married (GASP!) lesbian couple. In all actuality, that has no bearing on the plot nor the outcome. The fact that the couple is made up of two females doesn't change the fact that this is a solid drama focusing on the difficulties of marriage, of raising children, and the process of adoption when, eventually, those children want to meet their biological parents.
Nic (Benning) and Jules (Moore) have been married for 20-something years, and although their home life is nothing close to perfect, it is a solid enough basis for them to have two relatively well-behaved teenage children. Fun fact: each of the ladies mothered one of the children. Sharing is caring! Laser (Hutcherson) is a typical 15-year-old boy and does stupid things like experiment with drugs and videotape his dumbass friend trying to jump off a roof on a skateboard. Joni (Wasikowska) is a model student that just graduated top of her high school class and was accepted to every college she applied to. Both of them have typical teenage angst and lash out at their parents, but you can tell that this is a tight-knit family with a lot of love to go around, at least for the kids.
Nic and Jules' relationship is a whole different story altogether. It's obvious that they love each other. I just think the routine of married life has finally gotten to them. Nic is a perfectionist - everything always has to be done to her specifications and when she wants it. Jules is more free-flowing - not necessarily letting things happen, but being more flexible. Nic is extremely distant from Jules, which is made more and more apparent throughout every scene. One thing that definitely has to be said though - this is the best portrayed couple I've seen on the big screen in a long time. Benning and Moore capture the raw and real aspect of being in a relationship - something that is so often missed by Hollywood's glamorization of everything.
As it gets closer to time for Joni to leave for college, she and Laser decide they want to meet their biological father Paul (Ruffalo), a local restaurant and organic farm owner. Turns out, he's going through a midlife crisis of his own and is starting to think about finally settling down. The kids definitely nudged him in the right direction though, as they hit it off. The kids decide they will keep it from their moms as they think it will upset them (which it does).
When the truth comes out, Jules and Nic decide they will be fair to their children (even though they disagree... again, this is great parenting) and agree to meet Paul to find out what all the fuss is about. They still aren't impressed with him, but Paul does become Jules' first client in her new landscape design company. Which is good, because his backyard is a trainwreck. What begins is an unlikely friendship in which Jules sees some of her needs getting met that aren't being tended to by Nic, and Paul sees an opening to inject himself into a family that has been going strong since before he jizzed into a cup for $60 (which is like $90 now).
This is not a movie in which two lesbians raise children, this is a movie in which a family goes through the drama and turmoil that are ever present in many families nowadays. It just so happens that the parents both happen to be female. I understand that some people are still not accepting of this notion, and it's such a shame that they won't experience this film that is so fantastic.
10 out of 10
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