Raising kids is complicated, no matter what kind of family it is. Traditional parents, single parents, and gay parents alike face many of the same challenges, struggles, and obstacles when it comes to the difficult task of raising a child up in the way he or she should go. The Kids Are All Right, a great, feel-good summer film from director Lisa Cholodenko, brings to vibrant life a picture of two women in a modern family who are doing their best to wade through the sometimes troubled waters of marriage while raising two bright young children in the best way they know possible. At first it may seem as though this is a film that speaks to the challenges a lesbian couple may face when raising children, but it really isn't that specific. It's really just the simple, mostly comedic, and sometimes-dramatic story of a family that may appear alternative or different on the outside, but on the inside faces the same typical drama so many families these days face.

The story is of Nic and Jules, two women living in suburban Southern California, raising their two kids, Joni and Laser, together. Joni has just turned eighteen and is preparing for her last summer at home before heading off to college. Before she leaves, Laser, who is a few years younger, has asked her for one final, big favor. Since she is eighteen she is now of age to make the decision to contact their "biological" father, the sperm donor whom their moms' used in their conception. She is not as eager to make contact with him as Laser is, but she reluctantly agrees to do it, even though they both know that they are more than likely going to hurt both of their moms' feelings if either of them ever found out.

After meeting the donor, Paul, a carefree, young-at-heart organic restaurateur, both kids are immediately drawn to his easy-going demeanor and relaxed style. As they plan more meetings and things to do together it is just a matter of time before their moms find out. When the truth does come out inadvertently in an ironically hilarious scene where the moms are actually attempting to ask Laser if he is gay himself (which he is not), they are, as suspected, resistant while attempting to be open about it at the same time. Neither one of them is very excited about adding another family member to their lives, especially at this time during Joni's last summer at home, but there is also a larger issue at work here. Fostering a relationship with Paul, and also sending Joni off to college for that matter, signals a loss of the comfortable family life they have all grown accustomed to and a relinquishing of the control that the moms have held on to and prized for so long.

For Nic, control is a way of life. She is a doctor, the breadwinner, and the unmistakable head of the household. Played beautifully by Annette Bening who thrives so well in roles that portray the dominant matriarch, Nic struggles with the idea of meeting with Paul because it is not a situation she will have any control over. She can't control her kids' desire to know their biological father, and she tries to be open about it, but it is difficult for her to not have things the way they should be or the way she would like them to be all the time. Her initial reaction to unknown or unexpected situations is panic followed by an even stronger attempt at usurping control again, which, in a vicious cycle, ends up making everything even more chaotic. As she tries to clamp down on her kids and even her wife, she finds that the more she tries to regain her composure, the faster it seems to slip away.

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