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以下略有剧透，但我猜熟悉剧情的童鞋们都能料到终有这场戏
She calls him an “interloper.” She spits the word out at him like it’s meant to hurt. It does. Nic (Annette Bening), a lesbian mother and wife, has had it with Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the formerly anonymous sperm donor who has suddenly wedged himself into her tight family unit. Her wife Jules (Julianne Moore) is drifting away from her. Their children Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) are both too attached to the new man. If Paul wants a family so bad, she reasons, he needs to find his own. It’s a sound argument, though in her fury it sounds more like an unreasonable command. The Kids Are All Right is an emotional rollercoaster, and this angry dismissal is one of its steepest climbs. Nic’s anger and Paul’s hurt are both a little scary in their authenticity (Oscar nominations for both Bening and Ruffalo, please), but you can’t help be a little bit thrilled about the anticipatory descent. How will this family unit adjust to all these upheavals and changes?
She calls him an “interloper.” She spits the word out at him like it’s meant to hurt. It does. Nic (Annette Bening), a lesbian mother and wife, has had it with Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the formerly anonymous sperm donor who has suddenly wedged himself into her tight family unit. Her wife Jules (Julianne Moore) is drifting away from her. Their children Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) are both too attached to the new man. If Paul wants a family so bad, she reasons, he needs to find his own. It’s a sound argument, though in her fury it sounds more like an unreasonable command. The Kids Are All Right is an emotional rollercoaster, and this angry dismissal is one of its steepest climbs. Nic’s anger and Paul’s hurt are both a little scary in their authenticity (Oscar nominations for both Bening and Ruffalo, please), but you can’t help be a little bit thrilled about the anticipatory descent. How will this family unit adjust to all these upheavals and changes?
Several reviews have noted the low timbre of Bening’s voice in The Kids Are All Right, the suggestion being that it’s a “butch” choice for the dominant spouse in this marriage. While it’s true that Bening is speaking in her lowest register, she’s never had what one might call a girlie voice. The girliest of her performances may well be the con artist Myra in The Grifters (1991), but in that dazzling breakthrough, wasn’t that cooing, flattering femininity just another well rehearsed ruse? （我也觉得那部里声音怪怪的）Still, Bening’s tone here—low, blunt, military—is a smart choice, throwing Nic’s softer side into surprisingly sharp relief. This is especially true in her showcase scene, a brilliantly choreographed dinner where Nic goes through her own rollercoaster of feelings. She’s beginning to doubt her own aversion to this charming interloper and, lubricated by wine (her vice), she drifts off into youthful memories. Her guard lowered, she sings a Joni Mitchell tune with endearing vulnerability, her voice suddenly high and fragile. （~我要看我要看哪~） Nic may have a brittle exterior, but her possessiveness and alpha spouse posturing is coming from a very soft place. She deeply loves her family and is terrified of losing them.
一会姑姑带你去见饿死他熟男 A nimble, expressive screen voice is often a sign of actual training. Many famous stars have little of that, achieving fame in their teens or twenties with a combination of talent, luck and that small matter: the camera loving them. Bening took the Meryl Streep path to fame, studying acting in college and logging time in challenging stage roles. Neither of them approached a movie camera until they were in their late twenties. That’s a late start for famous actresses, but Bening came to the movies fully formed and blazing with confidence. Imagine being able to steal a scene right out from under Streep (Postcards From the Edge) in only your third film.
Bening’s essential star turns (The Grifters, Bugsy, The American President, American Beauty, Being Julia and Running With Scissors) have often leaned toward the bitchy and theatrical, but even within that comfort zone, the characterizations are diverse and rich. Her status as one of the best in the business is fully earned. So is the Oscar… though earning it and winning it are two different things.
Bening’s essential star turns (The Grifters, Bugsy, The American President, American Beauty, Being Julia and Running With Scissors) have often leaned toward the bitchy and theatrical, but even within that comfort zone, the characterizations are diverse and rich. Her status as one of the best in the business is fully earned. So is the Oscar… though earning it and winning it are two different things.
