The Kids Are All Right (15)

Readers review this week's big film

Thursday 18 November 2010 01:00 GMT
Comments

"It could have done without the gasp of ecstasy when she unbuttoned his trousers... It made a good, well-acted film suddenly unrealistic/borderline offensive."

George Walker

"Loved it! So good to see normal-looking women in their 40s not hideously botoxed, going through uncomfortable issues many couples face, regardless of sexual preferences."

Jillian Hocking

"It was very charming. Ruined by Paul and Jules sleeping together (and him kinda-sorta falling in love with her)."

Meirion Hughes

"Best film I've seen in a long time; Annette Bening is awesome."

Catherine Dwyer

"Annette Bening was brilliant as usual, but my enjoyment was ruined by what was unrealistically chucked in there for the straight male audience – a lesbian miraculously jumping into bed with a straight man! Even sadder is that this movie is written and directed by a lesbian who should know better: lesbians don't sleep with men. Bisexuals are another matter! Why couldn't she write Jules as a bisexual?! There's nothing worse than being betrayed by your own... "

Adie Idem

"I found it a non-stop lesbian cringe. A great fat bucket of yuk. Still, I'm glad the straights loved it. Was it because she slept with a man?"

Baron Schwarz

"I liked it. It wasn't the greatest film I've seen, but good enough..."

Angela Jaramillo

"At the beginning I thought, 'Oh no! what have I come to see?' But as the plot unfolded, I realised that I was being taken on an emotional journey where my own views about dysfunctional set-ups were turned on their head. Love is all that really matters at the end of the day."

Carol Jenkins

"God help any sperm-donor father who arrives on the scene."

Lee Town

"I thought it was a great film. Annette Bening is so sexy! I don't think it is unreasonable that Jules slept with a man because a) no-one said she is a lesbian – she's just a woman married to a woman, and b) being a lesbian is not just about who you sleep with. She is married to a woman; that does not mean you never want sex with men. So, yes, I think it is perfectly realistic; people shouldn't be so obsessed with labelling others."

Anna Bluston

"The daughter Joni is played brilliantly by Mia Wasikowska, who was also Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The sense of her trying to break free from her parents and get some peace from all the dysfunctional issues is very affecting."

Claudia Prince

"The kids may have been alright, but an anonymous donor was shaken to learn the consequences of his fertility. However, he gets over the shock and his subsequent intervention with all involved provided an interesting thrust for the film. Essentially I found the film very entertaining, with a strong message to demonstrate the importance of a unified family, however unusual, and the will to survive despite the challenges that it has to face."

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Brian Cripps

"What could so easily have been a toe-curling exercise in political correctness turned out to be a smart, funny and truthful portrait of modern family life."

Andrea Turner

Next week in Culture Club: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Is the series still working its magic? Please email your views on the first part of the epic final instalment tocultureclub@independent.co.uk. The best will be published next Thursday

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