He’s an imperfect parent, often loudly fighting with his daughters’ coaches and sometimes his wife Brandi (Aunjanue L. Ellis), and he makes decisions his daughters don’t always agree with, but even when he makes a misstep, the intention is always what he thinks is best for his daughters. But as almost any parent can tell you that even the best intentions aren’t enough to save them from heartbreak and disappointment.
The movie is an overall crowd pleaser, covering its emotional bases with inspirational speeches and soaring music cues as many sports movies often do. Smith’s performance as Richard may be a little overdone, but it’s effective, and his star power will help shine the spotlight on the performances from his co-stars like Sidney, Singleton and Ellis.
That’s one of the throughlines in Ry Russo-Young introspective documentary “Nuclear Family.” As the second daughter to a lesbian couple in the ’80s, Russo-Young was an accidental pioneer, along with other queer families of her generation, in disproving the prejudices against gay and lesbian couples who wanted to be parents.
The first episode of the mini-series, which will premiere soon on HBO, captures the hopeful rosiness her moms felt when conceiving her and her sister, Cade. Then, the perfect nontraditional family picture erupts when Russo-Young’s sperm donor, who was already in the family’s orbit, wanted more time with her and eventually sued for custody, an escalation that led to the family’s estrangement from him. By the series’ third chapter, Russo-Young questions the events on both sides and revisits the decisions made that led to the court case becoming a traumatic event in her life. It’s a bittersweet documentary memoir with few easy answers, and as the archival tape shows, it’s a project that Russo-Young has been working on for years. “Nuclear Family” is a sobering reminder that parenting is often the hardest road to travel, even with the best intentions.
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