Kids Are More Than All Right

When watching the Edmonton premiere of The Kids Are All Right, I was struck by how far Hollywood has come in its depiction of gay lifestyles.

There was the very under-the-wire goblet drinking scene in Ben-Hur in the 50s. There was the shots of naughty feet in Personal Best in the 70s.

And there was the portrayal of Tobias Wolf in This Boy's Life in the 90s.

And now in 2010, director Lisa Cholodenko has managed to almost push the issue to the background in The Kids Are All Right, in which Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a long term couple with kids fathered with Mark Ruffalo's sperm. No weepy flamenco guitars and arty shots with candles for these two. They snuggle and call each other babe, pony, and chicken, and brush their teeth together before bed. Could be anybody, right?

They support their son's desire to contact the donor. Again, we've seen this before.

They like to watch porn with sweaty men to get in the mood. In the Internet age, also no biggie.

And they have been together so long that things are starting to go stale, and it`s on this convention that the plot turns, as Moore`s free-spirited landscaper begins an affair with Ruffalo`s equally free-spirited drifter. Staleness can happen to us all, people. Bening does some of the best work of her career as her character slowly finds out.

Am I gay? No, and I don`t plan to be. But the truth is, you meet all kinds of people in this life, and I can`t imagine missing out on a great conversation with someone based on their orientation. They know I`m not, I know they are. With that out of the way, let mutual respect reign!