Please go watch this movie: The Kids Are All Right.

I have two words on this Saturday afternoon: Annette Bening.

I absolutely, 100%, with conviction and purpose, WORSHIP Annette Bening.

There are many mysteries we encounter in this life. For example:

• What makes Austin so magical?  
• Are fish sentient creatures?
• Duckbill platypuses? (Seriously - what happened there)?

But one of the biggest mysteries, to me, is why Annette Bening does not have an Oscar yet.

Before we talk about her though, is it just me, or did the ho-hum summer movie line-up suddenly get jerked right out of its How to Train Your Dragon-is-the-freaking-box-office-highlight rut?

Inception. I Am Love. And people - oh my God! - The Kids Are All Right.

Are you ready? Because we're going to discuss this.


Now, the way they cut this trailer is a little cutesy. And it does not NEARLY do the film justice.

But as my friend Megan can attest, I could hardly drive home from the Drafthouse last night after seeing it.

I was still swimming in this movie.

The premise: A married, midlife, lesbian couple (Annette Bening - SWOON! - and Julianne Moore) have two teenage kids. Those kids decide to contact their sperm donor. Paul - an early 40s, groovy, motorcycle-riding, organic restaurant-owning, "it's all good!" zen, very sexy kinda guy - is played by Mark Ruffalo. Let's stop right there.

J'adore this sweet face!

Mark Ruffalo is appealing to me in that real-person kind of way. It's like Jeff Bridges versus Tom Cruise. With all due respect to my 12-year-old crush - Maverick in Top Gun - I would take Bridges over Cruise, an Efron, a Gossip Girl cast AND a whole truckload of rippling ab, glassy-eyed Twilight dorks combined.

Just sayin'.

And Ruffalo goes in the Bridges Camp.

Anyway, where were we? Ah yes. Paul, Ruffalo's character. Hot as all get-out.

Well, the kids love him of course. As do most of his restaurant employees, auxiliary characters fainting in his wake, and us, the viewers.

But one half of the lesbian couple is suspicious of Paul. Or rather, the way Paul's sudden appearance draws some repressed family dynamics to the pleasant, suburban surface of things. And one half of the couple ... well. That half is curious.

And this is where I will leave you, because you really must go see it.

Also? I feel like I should warn you, my fellow Austinites. Because this movie is lifestyle porn. Aside from the impeccable casting and performances, the script WRITING, and the crazy good reviews The Kids Are All Right is getting, the film is visually luscious. Too luscious.

No, I'm not talking about the actors. Obviously they are. What I'm talking about is the CAMEO ROLE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PLAY IN THIS MOVIE!

Heh. Forgive me - don't know why I felt the need to all-caps (and exclamation point) that last, apparently very important, detail?

But suffice it to say, you'll want to grow your own garden, and eat out of it, after watching. Which is another reason this movie will probably get a lot of awards. Because we're all going to go local and eat sauteed green bell peppers for a week upon viewing.

Speaking of which, food is also the reason you should go watch The Kids are All Right at Alamo Drafthouse. As a dessert special, they offer fresh Strawberry Rhubarb pie during the movie.

And if you're extra lucky, they'll play my absolute favorite "Don't Talk" Drafthouse video beforehand, like they did last night.



UPDATED: My dad just pointed out to me that Annette Bening's last name is spelled with TWO n's, not three.  Sorry Annette!  I know you read this blog all the time!