Go figure. I’m on track to see more movies in a theatre this year than ever before…and one still gets past me. Gotta love being able to double back on dvd.

The selection at hand was THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, directed by Lisa Cholodenko. It’s the story of Jules and Nic (Julianne Moore & Annette Benning). They’re a married lesbian couple who have each given birth to kids from the same anonymous sperm donor. The kids, Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska & Josh Hutcherson) decide that they want to know more about their biological father, and eventually learn him to be Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an easy-going restauranteur in town.

What I liked most about the story of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is the way it deals with the consequences of restlessness. As time passes on a relationship, the desire for a change of scenery can become overwhelming. It happens in marriages, and it likewise happens between parents and children. Hell, it even happens when guys suddenly realize they want more fulfillment out of life.

Think about it: your husband or wife can tell you month in and month out that your circle of friends are actually self-centered dicks and shallow bitches. Chances are you’ll shrug it off, or even dig in and argue. But the moment a bright shiny new friend tells you that they are bitches and dicks, you give the judgement some creedence.

Seems backwards doesn’t it?

Thing is, that just because we latch on to someone different, doesn’t mean we’ve latched on to someone good – be it a parental surrogate or a romantic fling. Where THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT won me over was in the way it dealt with the fallout from making such changes…because often times the fallout can be a bastard to figure out.

While I loved this movie as a whole, and certainly agree that it’s one of the better films of this year – someone is going to have to explain to me the twisted joke of a couple naming their kid “Laser”.