Tallulah

Being a senior citizen as I am, it's easy to get stuck in the past watching old familiar movies. A couple of years ago I decided to "not go there" and see what the young crop of actors have that I might be missing. One of my first "new" favorites was Ellen Page.....a powerhouse of a actor in such a small package. I believe Tallulah is about her 10th movie I've seen her in and have never been disappointed! You know a movie is top notch when you forget they are all acting and the story becomes real in your mind. Such is Tallulah. A powerful story that makes you feel happy and sad while laughing and crying. A very endearing movie that I'm sure I'll repeat watch!

This film is the reason I love movies! Beautifully written and superb actors bringing interesting characters to life. Ellen Page excels in this probably her best role to date.

My wife and I both found this a small masterpiece.

The writing is enchanting.

The players are superb. Ellen Page never ceases to amaze. She is one very talented lady.

Allison Jenney's work is always worth watching, never more so than in this flick.

I found the Carolyn part played just a wee bit over the top.

At a time when far too many movies are made for a young audience devoid of aesthetic sensibility, it's movies like this that rekindle love of film in the mature movie-goer.

I was stunned by how beautiful this movie was. I didn't really expect this much, and seeing a weak IMDb score made me want to review this film. All women should watch this film. It disregards all standard stereotypes we have about mothers, middle aged women and how we relate to each other. Some reviewers talk about it being predictable, Id say its the opposite. Aside from the general outline of events in the film, no valuable aspect is predictable. Although I cannot speak for the male audience, I am worried it plays too much on female emotions and values to be able to be a hit for both genders. But I might be wrong. It contains Oscar worthy performances and its screenplay is brilliant in itself. It reminded me a lot of the feeling I got stuck with after watching American Beauty.That feeling is still there though. Don't know about this one.

'TALLULAH': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A Netflix original drama flick; about a homeless girl, that kidnaps the baby of a neglectful mother, and then bonds with the mother of her ex-boyfriend, who she turns to for help. The film stars Ellen Page, Allison Janney, Tammy Blanchard and Evan Jonigkeit (it also features a cameo by Zachary Quinto). The movie was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Sian Heder (a veteran writer of the popular TV series 'ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK'). The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, and Netflix viewers alike. I enjoyed it a lot more than I first thought I would.

Tallulah (Page) and her boyfriend, Nico (Jonigkeit), have been traveling, and living in their van, for years. When Nico suddenly leaves one day, and takes the couple's money with him, Tallulah goes to Nico's mother, Margo (Janney), for help. When Margo wants nothing to do with her, Tallulah begins searching a nearby hotel for food (and money). That's when a partying mother (Blanchard) hires Tallulah to babysit her young child. When the neglectful mom returns home wasted, and passes out after cursing at the child, Tallulah decides to take the baby. She turns to Margo for help, telling her it's Nico's child. The two reluctantly bond.

The film's story seems odd, and I had doubts it would be that interesting (especially after first starting the movie), but it actually turns out to be a pretty involving film. Page and Janney are both excellent in the leads, especially Page, and the characters are both extremely flawed but likable. Heder also seems to be a pretty awesome new filmmaker to watch out for; who seems to do a great job of writing women roles. After this, I'll definitely check out her next movie.

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