It took director Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon) about five years to get this film made, during which time she had a baby herself, but it was definitely worth the wait.

The end result is a well-observed, smart and funny comedy drama about an ordinary US family whose lives are knocked for six when the children decide to seek out and meet their sperm donor father.

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play Nic and Jules a long-time married couple who live comfortably in an LA suburb with their teenage kids Joni (Mia Wasikowska), named after Joni Mitchell, and Lazer (Josh Hutcherson).

Bening and Moore make a convincing couple and the four of them make a believable family.

Bening is superb as the sensible Nic, a doctor and the main breadwinner who loves her wine and will protect her family at all costs, while Moore is equally impressive as Jules, the dreamer and stay-at-home mum who chides Bening's drinking.

When Moore has an affair with her kids' biological father, an organic farmer and restaurateur played with effortless ease by Mark Ruffalo, it proves a wake-up call for her marriage.

It is nice to see Ruffalo getting his teeth into a decent role for once.

What is refreshing about this film is that there are no stereotypes or clichés. The fact that Nic and Jules are lesbians is irrelevant because the problems they face are the same any married couple might be confronted with.

The humour comes from the day-to-day situations these characters find themselves in. It is a beautifully honed script which Cholodenko co-wrote with Stuart Blumberg and which the cast do a fabulous job bringing to life.

This is one of the most enjoyable comedies of the year.

Maria Duarte