I love the weekends.
This afternoon me and my girlfriend made soup, while listening to Vonda Shepherd and Indrid Michaelson (and after some complaining from the Mrs some ‘proper jazz’… whatever I love my menopausal woman music taste), and watching the 3 cats who have taken to living in her back garden (we affectionately have named then Steve, Bob and Alejandro…)
Speaking of quintessential lesbian activities we went to see ‘The Kids are Alright’ last night. I’m gonna be controversial here ladies… I liked it. If any of you haven’t seen it already, I don’t really care I’m gonna tell you all about it anyway.
#spoileralert
So Nic a doctor (Annette Bening) and Jules a free spirited landscape gardener (Julianne Moore) have two kids together by the same sperm donor. Nic’s daughter is called Joni, she’s smart and just turned 18 and Jules’ son Laser (yeah, what’s that about?!) is 15 and a bit of a jock and a waster.
Laser wants to know his Sperm-Daddy so convinces Joni that, as she’s turned 18 now, she should make the call to the sperm bank and make contact, but that they deffo shouldn’t tell their moms.
The kids do this and meet Paul (Mark Ruffalo). Paul owns an organic farm and restaurant (even the men in this movie are lesbians!) and still kind of acts like he’s in college riding both his motorbike and his waitress friend (played hilariously by ex ANTM girl YaYa) in his spare time. Joni automatically connects with Paul but Laser thinks he’s a bit of a tool because he openly hates on all team sports.
Later, Laser an his friend Clay are snooping in Nic and Jules room hoping to find some pot when they come across their vibrator and porn collection. Forgetting all about the hopes of drugs they settle down at Lasers computer to watch what they hope to be some hardcore lesbian porn… instead they find gay male cowboys having some kinky outdoor bum sex – WTF right? Jules walks in on this and her and Nic’s suspicions of Laser and Clay ‘experimenting’ together make her freak out and the two of them sit Clay down to ask him about it. All Laser wants to know (us too mate!) is why do his lesbian moms watch gay man porn?! Poor Laser.
Jules and Nic find out about Paul and want to meet him, so he comes over for lunch and immediately Nic takes a dislike towards him, which is only made worse when he mentions that he happens to need some gardening doing, and Jules gets her first proper landscaping gig.
After this Paul begins to spend lots of quality daddy time with Joni and Laser, realising that he doesn’t want to be a no god man slut any more but he wants a family and kids, but also begins to realise that Jules while working hard in his back garden is actually quite hot (uh oh!) then in an awkward exchange in his kitchen over some rhubarb and strawberry pie they kiss. Jules is confused over it and things get uncomfortable back home in bed with Nic. Despite this she starts sleeping with him on a regular basis and her marriage goes downhill to the point that, at dinner with their friends, Nic gets a little boozy and they get into a fight ending so typically lesbian in the phrase ‘do you still even find me attractive’ (read of course ‘do you still even love me’).
Just as things are on the mend and Nic and Paul bond over the love of Joni Mitchell the messy, messy secret all comes out. Nic finds out about Paul and Jules, the kids overhear the argument, and Jules ends up on the sofa. Over the next few days no one is talking to each other in the house, no one is dealing with the issue except Joni who dabbles in a little drink driving. Obvs.
Things begin to get better when on the night before Joni leaves for college Jules stands up and gives a really emotional speech, for me this made the whole movie. She apologizes for what she’s done and explains that she didn’t just decide to be straight or whatever, but she just simply explains that marriage is really hard and you sometimes do things that are really rubbish when you are trying to deal with your feelings, though that doesn’t make up for what she did.
The movie ends with the family driving Joni off to college, everyone weeps (including me) and then on the way home Nic and Jules share a moment that tells us that everyone, not just the kids, will be alright.
I’m proud that this movie has come out as mainstream as it did, but I think what’s most important is to recognize its not a movie about lesbians, its just a movie about marriage and family and it is so real.
Go see it people, its worth a watch J