Tully

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Tully" (2018) isn't Jason Reitman's best movie - far from it. But it was a solid character study drama with some a bit unexpected ending, but to be honest i kinda felt what was going on, therefore it wasn't really a twist. The best things about this movie were solid performances by Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis and Ron Livingston. Script was solid and the story was truthful. Many moms will find this movie very true.

Overall, "Tully" is a solid movie to see it once. Its true to life and that was its strong side, and a bit of letdown maybe at the same time, as we see these things every day, and sometimes you just don't want to see it on a screen as well. Yet a nice movie to see it once.

It's a daunting task to do this film justice with mere descriptions of what it may or may not be about. One thing is clear, it is about motherhood, it is about identity, and about self-acceptance, but one could argue most films are about identity and self-acceptance, which leaves us with motherhood.

It feels much more important to underline that Tully is a rare film with stunning writing and dialogue and acting, that takes the viewer through what it can feel like to be a mother of three children with rare sincerity, realism, lightness and freshness. Mostly, it just feels like we are there, we desperately want to lighten the load Marlo (Charlize) has on her hands, we are incredibly grateful for everything Tully (MacKenzie Davis - who is very far from Cameron Howe here, showing that she has great range on top of her talent) does for her. And when the film ends, it feels like what a movie is supposed to feel like: like we have journeyed somewhere else, both awed and scarred by some of what we've seen, and a little bit wiser than when we first came in.

Tully is a return to form for both director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody. Featuring great performances, an unflinching and engrossing look on motherhood and a witty, acerbic script. Tully is a film worth looking out for.

Tully tells the story of Marlo (Charlize Theron), a New York suburbanite pregnant with her third child. Her husband, Drew (Ron Livingston) is loving, but somewhat neglectful, showing more interest in playing video games than helping Tully maintain the house and family. Clueless about the pressures of motherhood, he fails to notice when Marlo begins to show signs of post-natal depression. However, shortly after the baby's birth, Marlo's wealthy brother, Craig (Mark Duplass) hires a night nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis) to help take some of the pressure off Marlo. Reluctant to embrace the idea at first, Marlo soon forms a tight bond with Tully, who introduces Marlo to a lifestyle she had never imagined.

Tully is one of those films that the less you know about it before seeing it, the better. Featuring committed performances from Theron and Davis, the film is written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman, a partnership which also produced Young Adult (2011), in which Theron also starred. There's a definite thematic uniformity between the two films, as if they exist in an almost sliding doors-like relationship to one another. My only real issue with Tully is that the supporting characters are very thinly drawn - Drew, the well-meaning but ineffectual husband, is especially void of substance. Although, to be fair, the nature of the story, to a certain extent, necessitates this. In any case, this is an excellent study of an issue very rarely put on-screen - imperfect motherhood. A word of warning though; neither the poster, nor the trailer do the film any favours whatsoever. It's funny in places, but this is not a comedy.

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library.

I have always been a big Charlize Theron fan, ever since I first saw her in 1998's 'Mighty Joe Young'. She was a producer for this movie and, in the lead role, gained 50 pounds to make the character authentic. She is really great here in a difficult role.

Here she is Marlo, she and her husband are also best friends, but as often happens he can't quite relate to her task of taking care of two young children, and on top of that she is very pregnant and about to deliver their new daughter.

As we watched the story develop, and Marlo gets a night nurse, Tully, who comes in at bedtime and takes care of the baby, the story seems to be taking a very strange twist. At the height of that strangeness Tully talks Marlo into driving into New York City for drinks at night after the baby and her husband are asleep.

When the story resolves itself completely it all makes sense, the overall thrust is how what we commonly know as postpartum depression can affect a busy mother.

From the same writer that gave us "Juno" and "Young Adult."