The Kids Are All Right

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg began outlining the script in late 2004, and Cholodenko has said part of the material comes from her own life. The cast came aboard in sequence, Julianne Moore first, then Mark Ruffalo, then Annette Bening; Cholodenko described a script people admired alongside a fear about how the subject would ever make money. Photography finished in 23 days in Los Angeles in July 2009 on a budget of around 4 million dollars, and one of the 3 major investors was the French distributor UGC. The edit was compressed to reach Sundance, where it was taken in after the deadline for competitive entries had passed. Days later Focus Features bought rights in 4 territories for 4.8 million dollars, more than the film had cost. The limited opening on 7 screens averaged 70,282 dollars per screen, and it took a Teddy Award at the 60th Berlinale. 4 Golden Globe nominations at the 68th ceremony produced 2 wins, musical or comedy picture and lead actress for Bening. 4 Academy Award nominations at the 83rd produced none: picture, Bening, Ruffalo in supporting actor, and original screenplay. A good fit if you want the wear between Jules and Nic assembled from household detail rather than argument. Not for anyone expecting Paul’s arrival inside the family to escalate like a thriller.