“The Kids Are All Right” tries very hard to be a movie about a modern family.

The film, directed by Lisa Cholodenko, with help on the script from Stuart Blumberg, revolves around Jules and Nic, a lesbian couple, and their children, Joni and Laser (that’s right, Laser), who decide to seek out their biological father, Paul.

Everybody thinks Paul is great, except for Nic, and matters aren’t helped (Spoiler Alert! Although sadly it was given away in the trailer) when Jules decides she thinks Paul is really great, and begins sleeping with him.

Although the premise is totally ludicrous, somehow the film still works. This is due in large part to a pretty funny script by Cholodenko and Blumberg.

However, the other reason this movie is as good as it is, is the cast. Jules is played by Julianne Moore and Nic is played by Annette Benning. I have to say, these women must be good actresses, because after seeing them play straight in a myriad of other films (especially Moore), I still completely bought them as a couple.

Benning, an actress who I’m not usually even particularly fond of, is excellent as Nic, who slowly starts to unwind amidst frequent long hours at the hospital where she works as a doctor followed by nightcaps of red wine.

Moore, on the other hand, who usually goes over the edge on screen, plays messy without being a complete mess, and it’s refreshing to see her react to crises in a more believable way than her other character’s often do.

Joni and Laser are played by Mia Wasikowska, who you may recognize from “Alice in Wonderland” and Josh Hutcherson. Although I didn’t think Wasikowska was anything special in “Alice,” she’s great in this film, and Hutcherson, whose only other notable credit is the failed franchise attempt “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” held his own as the only actor who I hadn’t previously seen.

Finally, Mark Ruffalo plays the too cool for his own good Paul, and I have to say I haven’t seen him in a role that I enjoyed watching him play this much in a long time. I can’t tell if Cholodenko ultimately wants us to like Paul or not, and one of the movie’s major flaws is the lack of resolution in his storyline, but I can’t help but enjoying the guy despite his obvious flaws.

Occasionally the film feels a bit too didactic, as if Cholodenko is saying, “Look! This totally abnormal family is actually normal too!” But in the end “The Kids Are All Right” is a fun movie, and manages to be complex, realistic, serious and very funny at the same time.