Cholodenko with all right kids Hutcherson and Wasikowska at the L.A. premiere 

I got to see a screening of Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right (opening July 9 in select cities) and am happy to report that the kids are more than just all right—they're pretty terrific.

Ruffalo & Moore at the premiere; Bening skipped for personal reasons 

I was somewhat reluctant about a movie whose premise revolves around a lesbian longtime couple Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose family unit is compromised when their sperm donor Paul (Mark Ruffalo) from over 15 years earlier comes back into their lives via their curious kids Laser and Joni (Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska) and begins an affair with one of them. If that example of "lesbians just need a man" isn't enough to turn you off, how about the odd fact that the women's stale sex life is spiced up by watching vintage gay male porn? (I'm aware some women are into this, but how many lesbians are?)

Coming together over dinner 

Still, Cholodenko's character-driven script (she co-wrote with Stuart Blumberg) is so filled with insights into the emotions and quirks of the family and of its potential interloper that these potentially annoying aspects feel authentic.