Wednesday 9 May 2018

Film Review: "Tully" (2018).


"See how the mother half lives" in Tully. This drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Marlo, a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully.

The film marks the third collaboration between Reitman and Cody after Juno (2007) and Young Adult (2011), and and Charlize Theron's second collaboration with Reitman and Cody after Young Adult. In late September 2016, principal photography commenced, and took place in Manhattan, New York and Vancouver, British Columbia. For the role, Theron gained 50 pounds. She adhered to an excessive diet of junk food, processed foods, In-N-Out Burger, and milkshakes. Theron would eat macaroni and cheese at 2 a.m. to help keep on the weight. Theron said that her youngest child had mistaken her for being pregnant, given the extensive weight gain, and that it took a year and a half for her to shed the weight. The film's release date was pushed back a week to avoid competition at the box office with Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

The film stars Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, and Ron Livingston. Theron is a comic force of nature, giving her character considerable density and humanity. And Mackenzie Davies deserves cheers as Tully, a nanny who pops into Marlo's life with heart-warming honesty. Her warmth with Theron is funny, touching and vital. Theron and davis' performances as a pregnant woman and nanny automatically encourage the audience to like them. The character of Tully makes the film easy to process. As I absorbed it, I realized what a poignant character study it is. If, by the time the film's credits roll, you don't think that Theron and Davis are the best thing since tinned custard then you're either sick, in heavy denial or you've choked to death on your overpriced popcorn. Theron and Davis deliver two of the most impressive performances of the year. Theron and Davis deserve every ounce of notice they're getting for their performances.

Despite its somewhat dour approach, Tully is a funny and ultimately radical no-holds-barred examination of motherhood, thanks largely to a convincing performance by Charlize Theron. Surprisingly beautiful as a good blind date and as warm as a loving mother's hug, Tully shrouds its brilliant, brave and breathtakingly human heart in the expected blandness of an indie drama. Here is a film that could have been cliched but is so carefully nuanced that it is one of the most satisfying of the year. There is a raw honesty here rare in movies, and it's very funny too - excruciating at times. Although, there is not much to admire with the film in terms of originality in cinematography or production design. The film may be one of the year's most engaging movies, as well as one of the year's most feel-good movies.

Simon says Tully receives:



Also, see my review for Men, Women & Children.

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