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The Kids Are All Right The Movie in Cape Cod, MA

Info
Cast & Crew

Genre: Comedy drama

Synopsis:
The teenage children of a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening) seek out their biological father (Mark Ruffalo) and make him a part of their lives.

Release Date: 07/09/2010
Running Time: 104

Rating: R - Restricted

http://filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/the_kids_are_all_right/
Cast:
Jules: Julianne Moore,Nic: Annette Bening,Paul: Mark Ruffalo,Joni: Mia Wasikowska,Laser: Josh Hutcherson,Jai: Kunal Sharma,Clay: Eddie Hassell,Sasha: Zosia Mamet,Tanya: Yaya DaCosta,Luis: Joaquín Garrido

Crew:
Director: Lisa Cholodenko,Screenwriter: Lisa Cholodenko,Screenwriter: Stuart Blumberg,Producer: Gary Gilbert,Producer: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte,Producer: Celine Rattray,Producer: Jordan Horowitz,Producer: Daniela Lundberg Taplin,Executive Producer: Steven Saxton,Executive Producer: Ron Stein,Executive Producer: Christy Cashman,Executive Producer: Anne O'Shea,Executive Producer: Riva Marker,Executive Producer: Andrew Sawyer,Executive Producer: Neil Katz,Executive Producer: J. Todd Harris,Cinematographer: Igor Jadue-Lillo,Film Editor: Jeffrey Werner M.,Original Music: Craig Wedren,Original Music: Nathan Larson,Production Design: Julie Berghoff,Art Director: James Connelly Pearse,Set Decoration: David Cook,Costume Designer: Mary Hannan Claire,Casting: Laura Rosenthal,Casting: Liz Dean

Production Companies:
Plum Pictures,Antidote Films

Distributors:
Focus Features

Notes:
Production Notes - Notes provided by Focus Features - Conception and Delivery Q: The ampersand in the credits of The Kids Are All Rightwould seem to indicate that you wrote this script together.Is that the case? Stuart Blumberg [screenwriter]: We've been very close. Hatedeach other. Really liked each other. Taken naps together whenwe were tired. Lisa Cholodenko [screenwriter/director]: It was a longprocess; it took us over four years. SB: We've gone through it together. I wouldn't call itbrother/sister - LC: Our history was, we were acquaintances for many years inNew York - SB: We always got along really well. I had met Lisa througha mutual friend, and we became friendly. LC: We ran into each other in a coffee shop in Los Angeles,and Stuart asked what I was doing. I told him that I waswriting this script, but I had just started and I was into writer's block, and what was he doing? [My second feature film] Laurel Canyon had been released; I was doing some [directing for] television. But I reallywanted to write an original screenplay; everything that I wasreading that was being sent to me was just not areas where Iwanted to go. I felt that I'd already started this process ofdoing more personal work; where I felt comfortable was with more character-identified scripts. SB: She said, ``I want to write a mainstream movie about momswho have kids and sperm donors, and I said, ``That's funny,because I want to do something more like [the movies] youdo; something more indie. LC: I kind of pitched him the idea. He for his own reasons had an interest in it - SB: I was a sperm donor in college. LC: I had friends who had been on all sides of thatequation, and my partner and I were trying to get pregnant.There had been a lot of stories about donor kids - in The NewYork Times, on 60 Minutes - and those kids are now coming of age. That's a brave new world for families. So while Stuart thought it would be fun to go for the moreindie flavor, I thought it would be interesting for thisproject to bring in somebody who had a more commercialsensibility. We figured this could be a good marriage. SB: Neither one of us had written anything collaboratively before. LC: We got together the next day and decided to try. Q: Did you just start writing scenes, or went at it anotherway? SB: We spent months on the outline, months on the firstdraft. We sat side by side for months on end, pounding it outtogether. Every single scene, character, line was reworked atleast 10 times. LC: We worked the script to the bone. We asked each otherquestions about these characters, shaped them, and put theminto contrast with each other. When I felt like the scriptwas veering into the superficial, or politically correct, wewould rein it back in. SB: It was an interesting dynamic; men and women aredifferent. I loved working with Lisa. Sometimes I'd sit atthe computer and be like, ``Okay, I've only got so much time,so let's get started, but she'd be like, ``No, no, tell me about your weekend. What happened? ``We really have tostart. ``No, no, we need to process. LC: When I would lament to my partner that I didn't know ifthe script was any good, she'd say, ``Keep writing 'til youbreak your own heart. If it's resonating with you, it's onthe right track. Stuart and I had been writing for about a year and a half,and I was simultaneously trying to get pregnant - which Idid. We thought we could make the film and get it all donebefore I had the baby. There was a first incarnation of thefilm; we tried to get the production up in 2005-2006. That didn't exactly time out. By the time the financing cametogether, I was too pregnant to make the movie. So I had myson, and spent the next couple of years trying to get my lifere-oriented and spend time with him. But Stuart and Icontinued to write. Revisions made the script better. Becausewe had worked on it for a long time, it read really visually, too. Q: Speaking of visuals - you shot the movie on film, right? LC: Yes, [cinematographer] Igor Jadue-Lillo and I used 35millimeter [film]. I love film [stock], and I didn't want a dense, hyper-real vibe [from digital]. I wanted to see somegrain in the picture. It felt to me like it should be very photographic, like the films I grew up on. Q: Were you also intent from the beginning that audiencestake away a message from the movie? SB: There isn't a message about gay marriage. There is maybesome of that old joke; ``Gay people deserve to be as miserableas straight people... I think when Lisa and I started writing The Kids Are AllRight, we were saying, ``This is something that happens and let's explore the story that comes out of that. We focusedon human beings, not on issues. LC: I don't see myself as an overly political person, in partbecause I feel these are human rights issues. I know, humanrights issues are political issues, but my relationship andcontribution to them is from the creative and artistic perspective. I know some will say, ``Oh, there's an unconventional family,two moms and their kids. To me, it looks pretty typical.We're putting it on-screen in a way that isn't part of apoliticized environment. It's just, ``Here's this family. SB: They've led a wonderful sort of Ozzie and Harriet life,but we're catching these characters in transition. Hopefullythe story is rich and complex enough that it compels on itsown merits. LC: The story is meant to be an exploration about what allfamilies face, especially families with children; the anxiety and comedy and pain and pathos of watching your family shape-shift on you. Whether you're gay or straight or single orinterracial or whatever - everybody has a similar trajectory,all families face similar challenges; the emotional rites ofpassage, the choices made, and whether you stick things out and stay together as a family. What goes into making thosedecisions, and where can you get derailed - that's also whatwe're exploring. SB: Our story's family is as wonderful and troubled and flawed and impractical as any family. With stories like this,you get to delve into why human beings behave the way theydo. While I love action movies and thrillers, getting tospend time within human nature can be really fun andfulfilling. LC: When I decided I wanted to try to make films, what gaveme the yen to do so were the movies that I saw when I wasyounger; films that had a real sense of comedy and tragedy. You could find the humanity and the complexity in thecharacters, and your sympathies were waxing and waning. SB: Thinking of the films I've done before, well,unconsciously, are there any patterns? It's, ``a new charactercomes into an established situation and shakes things up.I'm interested in people who are trying to find the meaningof where they are in their lives, and another person comes inand serves a catalyst to really make them think about thosequestions. Mark Ruffalo brings a lot to the role of Paul. He goes reallydeep, and he's really funny. This role reminds me of ones hedid earlier in his career. LC: Paul is a richer character with Mark playing the role. Hewas somebody I thought of for the part from the outset. He had other offers, for bigger films, but I think that some of the great actors feel that the pleasure of acting is beingable to do smaller films that you can get fully into.Julianne Moore was great, because I said, ``I'm going to goout to Mark, could you back me up? Maybe give him a call? She called him. Q: Was Julianne Moore always your first choice? SB: Sure, we wrote the character of Jules with Julianne in mind. It was wonderful to have the person you visualizedactually say the words. LC: On the set, Julianne was ready for anything, including the sex scenes. I first met Julie about 10 years ago. She andI talked casually over the years, and she'd say, ``Writesomething for me. I sent her an early draft of The Kids AreAll Right and she attached herself in 2005, when the moviewas going to get made and didn't. Julie made herself available to do the movie for four years. She stuck around,stuck with me, and stuck with it. I went to New York and met with her and we talked a lot. There were many conversationswith Julianne about where the drafts were heading, and howthings had changed for the characters and why. Julianne got to know her character in a more organic way as Jules evolved. SB: We thought that this was going to be something differentthan we'd seen from her before; Julianne usually plays verystrong women. Not to say that Jules isn't strong, but she'smuch more vulnerable in this relationship. Q: While you were writing for Julianne all along, with no onecast as Nic was there by default a lot of Lisa in Nic? LC: There's parts of myself in Nic, strains of mypersonality. But, I am not the breadwinner in my family... To play Nic, we needed a yin to Julianne's yang. It took me a long time to determine who I would cast to play Nic. I knew Iwanted a great actress who was funny, dramatic, strong, sexy, over 40, and recognizable. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sit down with anyone in an exploratory way; it was goingto be an offer only, so I took the choice very seriously! InNew York, Julie and I discussed a short list of actresses andfocused on how Annette Bening was somebody we both adored,and I went out to her [with an offer]. Julie e-mailed Annetteand said, ``I'd love for you to do it. It was like an arranged marriage; much of the preparatorywork for the movie was done in this act of choosing Annette. Both of them knew they were hand-picked for each other, andneeded to make it work. They also liked the challenge ofgetting deep into this couple's psychology and emotional space. SB: Annette is amazing. Literally, she was putting on an acting clinic; every day on the set was an impressivedisplay. The commitment she brings to the character! She'sdone so much homework; it was inspirational to watch somebody so professional taking it so seriously. She inhabited therole of Nic. LC: Since Annette was in L.A., she and I and Stuart hadseveral script meetings and did some important revisions together. Script work is important to her and she's good atit. Annette is formidable - very incisive, smart, andmethodical. I realized that she was the character I hadwritten, in that in real life she is a Mama Bear. So it waseasy for her to access that for the part, being completelyinvolved with her kids' lives. Working with Annette prior to Julianne getting to L.A. helpedme have a greater understanding of the characters and their relationship - and how to help both actresses find the keymoments that would translate into relationship authenticityon the screen. Playing the normalcy and humanity of theircharacters and of their marriage freed them to be natural andsteer clear of anything arch and artificial. Q: How and in what ways did the younger actors surprise you? SB: Well, Mia Wasikowska may seem to be one of those ``itgirls who's exploded onto the scene, but she's incrediblylevel-headed and calm. She brought a real centeredness toplaying Joni, a real gravitas to this 18-year-old. Josh Hutcherson did a wonderful job; he's not at all like Laser inreal life. We'd see him go from his own extroverted self toplaying someone very internal and almost imploding. Q: How has the initial feedback been from audiences? The filmwas first screened in January and February 2010 at theSundance and Berlin International Film Festivals... LC: ...which I hadn't been preparing to do. We showed itunfinished as a world premiere at Sundance - it was fairlynerve-wracking hustling through temp mixes - but, in spite of that, the film played incredibly well. In fact, the reception was tremendous. The Berlin experience was also incrediblypositive. I think people were relieved to see a film that was grapplingwith something real and complicated, but was also funny.They've found the honest depiction of marriage and familyrefreshing, and the gay family aspect takes some audiencemembers into uncharted territory. Viewers at both festivals appreciated the experience - more than I ever anticipated.The movie takes you on a ride that feels truthful andsurprising, and drops you off somewhere that is hopeful. Q: Are you looking forward to further feedback/discussions? LC: Of course! It's going to be fun! The Kids Are All Right Family of Four, Plus One Annette Bening [plays Nic in the movie]: With movies,everything follows from the writing. To me, The Kids Are AllRight is a great and poignant story about a family who verymuch love each other, and who are going through what a lot offamilies go through - things that we all share and can relateto. There's so much heart in it, so much genuine feeling -and it's not saccharine, or earnest; earnest is boring. Julianne Moore [plays Jules in the movie]: One of the reasonsthat I really responded to the wonderfully funny script is that it's about where you are when you've been in arelationship for a long time and you have children. Annetteand I have both been married long-term, have children andknow what it's like to parent. When you have a child that'sleaving home, it's a big transitional time for everybody. Mia Wasikowska [plays Joni in the movie]: Family dynamicschange when people grow up and start living their own lives. Annette Bening: All the characters in the story have their journeys. Nic and Jules are really good moms; they havebrought up their children in a loving, supportive environment. They're human, like all the rest of us with ourfamilies. The two women are very different from each other; I likedthat in the writing, that they're each such distinct people. Julianne Moore: My character has tried different jobs; she was in architecture school, had a business, and now is tryingto be a landscape designer. But she's been more the stay-at-home parent, and for her the idea that Joni is leaving homenow is major. Because her whole life has pretty much beenabout staying home with the kids. It makes for a complicated dynamic. In movies, charactersgenerally have a clear idea of where they're going. In life,I've seen a lot of people who don't. So I wanted to play thatwith Jules; her predicament is that she doesn't feel like shecan go forward or backward, she feels stuck - and Nic has todeal with that, they have to work it out together. I loved that Jules is at such an amorphous place in her life, andthat seemed to be a compelling thing to play. Annette Bening: I felt like I understood Nic; I saw her as asane, stable, smart woman. The dilemma that she gets in,going through a hard thing - one of the joys of acting istrying to put yourself as much as you possibly can into theshoes of another person, and to look at the world throughtheir eyes. Mia Wasikowska: Nic and Jules bring out different things in Joni's personality. To me, Joni always came off as a fiercelydriven person; very ambitious, and wanting to achieve inschool. She's more involved in the life of the mind than,say, fashion. Josh Hutcherson [plays Laser in the movie]: Laser gets along great with his moms, but when he meets Paul it's that, hehasn't really had any male influences in his life. At thebeginning of the story, he's the one who wants to contact his biological father. Lisa, Julianne, Annette, Mia, and I all talked about, ``Whatwould you do if it was your kid? Would you let him meet him? Mark Ruffalo [plays Paul in the movie]: Paul is kind ofinterested in the idea of picking up where the moms have leftoff a little. I feel that Laser expects more of a traditional dad, but Paulis much more eclectic. Paul doesn't totally give up on him,but goes to where he's getting the most responsiveness, which is from Joni. Josh Hutcherson: Laser keeps his guard up, but Joni is moreoutgoing, with Paul. Mia Wasikowska: At first, she's very apprehensive, as it's anunexpected relationship she finds herself in. Mark Ruffalo: Paul has never really learned to make any realemotional connections to women, other than as f-k buddies.When he gets the call and this newfound information that hehas kids from having given sperm so many years ago, I thinkhe's a little proud. There's the fantasy; ``Maybe I'll startbeing a dad now. He won't have to take care of a baby. Julianne Moore: At the core of a family, there is a primaryrelationship between the parents. The most interesting thingabout the relationship is how very normal it is. In thescript, it's mentioned that Nic was a resident at UCLA andJules came in; she was probably in college at the time. Theymet and had a family right away. Annette Bening: These two parents have been together theirwhole adult lives, which is a very familiar family story;this story is never self-conscious about it being two women,which I love [about it]. That's just part of the mix of thisparticular family. Mark Ruffalo: For Paul, Jules is like th e ultimate conquest;not only is she married, but she's also a lesbian. [laughs] Forbidden fruit, kind of taboo. They have an immediate intimacy and connection because they share a child. I had worked with Julianne before [on Blindness], so we hadthis rapport that we'd already developed. Having some sexyscenes together was made easier by our friendship, and[laughs] she's friends with my wife, so that helps a lot. Julianne Moore: I was grateful that we knew each other sowell [prior], that made everything less weird. The whole cast is tremendous, and it's the strength of thescript that attracted them to The Kids Are All Right. I first met Lisa years ago at a Women In Film event. I'd seen High Art, and thought it was brilliant. I actually said to her,``Why didn't I see that script!? I think she's a wonderful writer and director, and we stayed in touch and were lookingfor things to do. She sent me the script she and Stuart hadwritten, I said yes [to being in it], and then it was a long process of actually bringing the film to fruition. I stuckwith it because I believed in Lisa as a filmmaker, and Ibelieved in the beautiful script as a movie. Josh Hutcherson: I was a fan of [Lisa's second feature] Laurel Canyon. I thought this script had a very similar feelwith the vibe and the pacing. When I was reading it, my heartwas pounding when Nic found the hair in the drain. I wasthinking, ``No, stop, don't! As an actor there was a lot in the story to sink your teethinto, to get emotional and really personal with. Mia Wasikowska: When I read the script, there was a lot thatI could identify with. I formed an image of Joni in my head.Preparing to play the character, I imitated the image thatwas already in my head; I read the script over and over againand then I wrote about anything that came to mind. Mark Ruffalo: Lisa and Stuart's script was so well-written;there was a lot of direction on the page. Lisa understandsactors really well, and I had such a good time with her. Onthis size film, we were shooting 6-7 pages a day. But it wasa mellow set; Lisa exudes this confidence in all aspects. Julianne Moore: Lisa was very well-prepared; after waiting solong to make this, she was really enjoying herself and using every single moment to the best of her abilities. Annette Bening: The Joni Mitchell/dinner party sequence hadbeen written perfectly, and Lisa knew in advance how todramatize that [one particular] moment [for Nic]; she knewwhere she was going to put the camera and when the music was[going to be in] there. It's like a novelist revealing astory to you. There's something about the way she runs a set that is very sane. She's very chill, and receptive to what's happening.Good directors understand that they've made the biggestdecisions already by casting, and can go with what people'sinstincts are while making their own decisions about changesduring shooting. She will come up and whisper in your ear,``Try this... Josh Hutcherson: Lisa is collaborative, but she has a visionand keeps it consistent throughout. Mia Wasikowska: Lisa's cool and calm radiated throughout thewhole cast and crew. Some sets can be tense but shedefinitely keeps it light, which is a real achievement. Julianne Moore: The crew was fantastic, and the whole processwas delightful. This was a 21-day shoot, but we had a fewdays in a room [beforehand] with everybody just to readthrough. Annette Bening: We had discussed their relationship and theirhistory in detail, and some of those pieces of their historyhad ended up in the script and some of them - for me, as anactor, I do need to put a history together in my head, and no one else ever knows; it's not important that everyone shareeverything. Lisa and Stuart were attentive, continuing to work on thescript all the way through, which is for me a great thing,because there can be so much that's being learned while you're shooting. At that point in the process, small detailscan make a huge difference in a movie, whether it's the angleof a shot or the way one chooses to play a scene. You try to become attuned to the other actors so that what ishappening feels natural, which it did immediately [on thismovie]. Again, that's because of Lisa; she knows how tocreate an atmosphere where people can behave, rather thanact. I felt very comfortable shooting the picture. Julianne Moore: It was very easy for us to feel like a family. Mia and Josh have been working [as professional actors] for years; it was a pleasure to work with youngactors who were so experienced and enthusiastic. Annette Bening: Both Mia and Josh understood that being goodwith the camera is listening and receiving, and letting thestory work; moments that a lot of us remember in movies arewhen people are reacting - and, when you're giving yourperformance you don't know what's going to end up in themovie, so all you can do is fully invest your in the momentsthat you're in. Yes, it's not you, you are pretending, it isa scene. Yet, you want - as much as possible - to be surprised. That knife edge is where you are all day long whenyou're shooting. Mia Wasikowska: To be able to be on set with Julianne Mooreand Annette Bening, and to watch them and see their processand learn from how they work was an awesome experience. Josh Hutcherson: It was amazing. When I started acting, I never thought I'd be doing a scene with actors who have sevenAcademy Award nominations [between them]. Look at theircareers and how much they've done - and they were everythingand more that I could have wanted them to be. Mark Ruffalo: With not a lot of ego, you enter into anensemble and so there is a real give-and-take quality. It'salways like a homecoming to walk onto a set with someone likeAnnette. They take it seriously; it's about serving thematerial. Annette Bening: I was so impressed with Mark's generosity; hespoke to me on the phone before the first day of shooting,[knowing that] it was when I had to do a scene and talk abouthim [referencing a sequence that had yet to be filmed]. Markplays the genuineness of Paul, which makes everything morepungent in the story because he's sympathetic. I think that people will see themselves in these characters. The Kids Are All Right has the feel of real life;complications, joys, disappointments, neuroses, intimacies. Julianne Moore: The Kids Are All Right tells a very universalstory in a unique way. It speaks to what it is to be in afamily; that is something we all have a real understanding of, no matter what culture we live in, no matter whatgeneration we're part of. Mark Ruffalo: I'm really proud of this movie. It's abeautiful way to show a family - and, it's funny.