The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Some viewers might be put off by a story about a lesbian couple with two teenagers. I thought the film had bigger problems for the first half or so, like shallow dialogue, caricatures, and a plot based upon all things politically correct. But bit by bit the story captured me as I began to realize that this family might be non-traditional, but it had to struggle with issues that are not "gay" but rather deeply human and common to all of us. Jules and Nic love each other very much but have very different personalities, the former a touchy-feely flower child and the latter a common sense doctor. Learning to communicate with honesty and love is difficult. They have two typically snarky teenagers, Joni and her brother Laser, and wonder how best to deal with their growing independence (Joni is heading to college), especially when Laser insists upon meeting his biological (sperm donor) father, Paul. The film ends with some powerful scenes of love, bittersweet loss, and forgiveness. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards.