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Saturday, July 24, 2010

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!

9 comments:

Amanda said...

a few things since I've been without internet for a couple days:

1) I agree about this movie - I liked it and I especially like that there aren't any other "mainstream" movies out like it (yet). Although I gotta disagree a little about M-Ruff. He was looking a little rough himself in this movie - lots of chest hair going on. I also thought it was uncomfortably tense through a majority of it - but not Revolutionary Road tense (ug) and still good.

2) I'm so sad I missed the bleet up! Your pictures are super cute! I saw those guys open for Hayes Carll a while back and they were great. I ran into one outside of Beauty Bar one night and told him, and officially won my weirdo-fan-chick-outside-a-bar membership card.

3) Kombucha - I totally have to do this. Do you have a recommended ordering site? Is it slimy when you touch it?

Amy Strecker said...

I can't wait for it to come to Raleigh!

Cassiday P said...

Saw it yesterday. So goooood. I agree with you about Annette. She freakin changed my life with her performance in American Beauty....and she was just a poignant and REAL in this movie! So good. PS did you notice the girl with the afro from the restaurant was YaYa from America's Next Top Model?

Unknown said...

I don't know about the movie, but I could watch the "don't talk" promo all day long. See you soon!

Becky B. said...

I saw this last night and LOVED it!! Also, did anyone else notice that one of the ladies was wearing an Antone's t-shirt in one of the early scenes? YAY, Austin shout-out!

Megan! said...

@ Texanthropology--I definitely noticed the Antone's shirt! That was a fun moment!

Also, I need everyone to know that Mark Ruffalo is taken. By me.

Finally, I want to implant myself in this movie somehow.

Austin Eavesdropper said...

@Amanda - So good, right? Especially in the middle of a CGI-saturated summer, as a friend and I were talking about earlier on Twitter. As for ol' Mark, I think this one's a matter of personal taste. I like 'em a little scruffy. :) Clean cut Colt McCoy's are meh to me...but hairy, beard-y dudes get a THUMBS UP. I don't know why?

@Amy- You will love it!! Are you still doing Teach for America?

@Cassiday - YES I DID NOTICE! Megan (who was with me) texted the next day. I want her hair...too bad I'm not African-American

@Ross - HI BABY!!!! Would you believe I actually wrote the longest tangent about how Mark Ruffalo reminds me of you in this movie? In some parts? TOTALLY NOT MAKING THAT UP TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A STUD.

Anyway, I deleted it because I've whined enough on this blog about you. Being gone, I mean. And omg best Drafthouse "don't talk" vid ever - I love it when the original, non-death metal snacks look all concerned. "I will bite you in the torso and give you a disease!"

@Texanthropology - Hey Becky! YES, we totally did notice the Antone's shirt she wears at the beginning!!

@Megan - Werd. Also, want to introduce you this week with my favorite email you sent me. :) Cool?

Frank J. Rivera said...

Re: the mystery of duckbill platypi, have you seen this ven diagram? http://bit.ly/a7ve1v I want it as a t-shirt so bad I can't even explain.

Unknown said...

I have been wanting to see this so bad, love Annete Benning and Mark Ruffalo