Tully

Never heard of this film and had no idea about the actors or just what this film story would reveal. The story is about two grown young men and their father who own a large farm out in the middle of the Heartland where their was a small town where farm people had their entertainment and shopping areas. Glenn Fitzgerald, (Earl Coates) and Anson Mount,(Tully Coates Jr.) are the two brothers who both give outstanding performances along with Julianne Nicholson,(Ella Smalley). Tully Coates is a good looking young man who has all the girls running after him and he seems to have more sex than he can handle. However, when he meets up with Ella his life takes a different change. This story has some very deep secrets that are eventually revealed much to everyone's surprise and if you like to see the wide open spaces with cattle close by and plenty of corn fields, this is the film for you.

Was it great acting or great directing or a great script that made this film work so well? The people in the movie Tully are not one dimensional, they are real people. I loved all of them. The way the father pursed his lips.

The way Tully sometimes looked handsome, sometimes plain. The way Ella gave just the right thing at the right time. The way the clerk cheerfully bantered. The way Earl corrected Tully's misremembering. The town sleaze's greasy humor. I wish I knew any of them, even April! :) The main thing that struck me about Tully is the trueness of the dialog. It was minimal, the way people really are, shown from the outside in, without being corny. Everyone gave great performances. The movie is special. Hope I see more of every actor in this film, all of whom were new to me. All were MEMORABLE. That says a lot because I think I have early Alzheimers! Too bad this movie wasn't a hit. I wish I lived on a farm and/or had this kind of sensitive, nuanced experience everyday! Unpretentious.

Tully investigates how the loss of a parent can mark a child and affect the adult they become.

This film earned a rare second viewing. Even with a more critical eye, the performances seemed more than genuine. The tears, glances, body language, and smiles were perfectly rendered and filmed. I blew through the still pictures shown in the opening credits during the 1st showing, but appreciated the story they told with the knowledge I had about the characters with the 2nd look.

Casting kudos for the delicious Anson Mount, the graceful Julianna Nicholson, and the sweet, wounded dad.

Yes, it's a rural-paced film. Don't be in a hurry!

TULLY (2002) **** Anson Mount, Julianne Nicholson, Glenn Fitzgerald, Catherine Kellner, Bob Borrus, Natalie Canerday, John Diehl, V. Craig Hedenreich. Novice filmmaker Hilary Birmingham (who co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Drake, adapting a short story by Tom McNeal) beautifully captures the visage of rural small-town America(na) in contemporary tones in this wonderfully modulated tale about a middle-aged farmer (Borrus, a truly amazing low-key yet ultimately heartbreaking performance as a man who has sacrificed so much and tenuously hanging onto what is his own: his land and family) and his two sons (Mount as the titular protagonist and Fitzgerald are equally poignant and excellent) who face a moment from their past that clearly will alter their precarious futures. Nicholson (sporting cinema's sexiest freckles) as the family's friend is sublimely perfect as a veterinarian school student who returns to town arousing the boys' one more time. Gorgeously shot by John Foster and a gentle, pensive score by Marcelo Zarvos elevates this true sleeper gem as one of the year's very best.

This film was like a breath of fresh air. It only played locally for a couple of weeks, if that much. Obviously, this film would have fared better had it gone to the Angelika or the Sunshine where a young crowd would have discovered it. I only caught it at the end of the run and I'm glad I did because not only it's a beautifully done, but because it's an honest account of life.

Director Hilary Birmnigham working with Matt Drake have created something rare in American cinema a well written drama with interesting and complex characters, a script that doesn't depend on special effects or the formula that most mainstream films.

The cast is superb. Anson Mount, Julianne Nicholoson, and Glenn Fitzgerald shine brightly in this film. Also Bob Burrus as the taciturn father is very effective.

I'm sure that by now it should be in DVD since it was done in 2000, you won't regret it.