When Joni turns 18, legally an adult, she and her brother Laser track down their sperm donor dad. That’s the plot.
It’s a familiar plot. What usually happens is: kid finds donor, donor meets mom, mom is furious to have anonymous man invade family space, mom falls in love with donor and voila—a reconstituted nuclear family. What makes All Right different from a typical romantic comedy is that the mom who raised the children isn’t just one mom, it’s the “moms”--two married women.
What makes this story different on a deeper, structural level is it crosses the territory like a literary novel—with multiple, interwoven story lines. This is not an action-oriented rom-com. I don’t mean it’s boring, far from it. But the action is in the shifting relationships, the humor is in smiles of recognition, and the story follows the design philosophy “more is more.” There are five main characters, each with a relationship with the others. Throw in some triangulation, and you do the math.
The kids are great, and it’s interesting to watch them get to know their biological father. He’s a hip, old “spermy”—that’s what the older daughter calls him. After all, his only previous contact had been via a collection cup. What else could he be? Ah. Turns out he listens well, loves female vocalists, grows organic produce, and he’s a bona fide foodie and fab cook. A straight man with well-developed feminine sensibilities. Huh. Interesting.
Mark Ruffalo plays the loner Paul, whose world is cracked open when he meets his progeny. He clearly longs for more family connection. But the response to his presence ricochets around the family members, from defensive, even hostile, to curious and welcoming.
On the defensive end stands Nic, played by Annette Bening. She’s a doctor, a functional alcoholic, and the breadwinner of the family. In a traditional marriage from the mid-20th century, this character would be the one “wearing the pants,” but I would be hard-pressed to label Bening a dyke. She’s a gorgeous woman, even without glamour make-up and lighting. (Kudos to director Lisa Cholodenko and her cast for having the guts to allow a woman’s true age to show, complete with wrinkles and puffy eyes. The moms look like they’ve raised a family and weathered a life together.)
Nik doesn’t place much value on Paul’s Y chromosome contribution, and she tells him point blank, “If you want a family so much, go out and make your own.” She means the real work of making a family, and that requires a sustained investment of time. But, she’s definitely the outsider on lots of family issues. In the moms’ public battleground Nic rails against heirloom tomatoes and composting.
Remember “more is more?” That line comes from Jules, played by Julianna Moore. She’s the more intuitive, femme of the married couple, a fledgling landscape architect who favors heirloom tomatoes and composting. Jules dives into her first garden assignment articulating her more-is-more design philosophy. She could have gone minimalist, but she chooses fecund. And when she embraces flagrant fertility in the garden, she releases dormant sexual desire and ignites a level of heat rarely seen on the screen.
This movie will very likely disturb anyone who is uncomfortable about in-your-face eroticism and direct talk about the nature of sexuality and sexual orientation. It will disturb anyone who is afraid of same-sex marriage. It may also disturb lesbians because the moms’ sexual allegiance is challenged. I found the peek into a lesbian home—sometimes comfy, sometimes chilling—authentic and bracing.
Finally, All Right transcends the specifics of a family with two moms. It’s about an unconventional family, the power of genetics and the infatuation with other. It’s about sustaining central relationships over the long haul. Jules articulates a challenge we can all relate to: “Marriage is hard . . . It’s a fucking marathon.”
About my rating – I sketched some thoughts directly after screening All Right, but it’s taken me a week to weave my notes together, allowing my thoughts to follow the pace of the movie, including time for self-recognition and reflection. I’m going 9 of 10, for the authentic fabric of life, and the staying power of this film. This one’s staying with me for a while.
