Tully Review: A struggling mother of three reconnects with herself after hiring a night nanny in this third-time teaming of director Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody.
Tully Review by Kat Hughes.
Tully Review
It’s been over ten years since Juno burst its way onto the movie scene. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film saw a then relatively unknown Ellen Page play a potty-mouthed teenager who found herself pregnant during high-school. The film, which was written by Diablo Cody, garnered four Academy Award nominations, with Cody winning an award for Best Original Screenplay. Building on that success the pair reunited for 2011’s Young Adult, adding Charlize Theron to the team. It failed to capture the attention of audiences in the same way as Juno, but does offer one of Theron’s better performances. Now the trio return for this week’s new cinematic release, Tully.
In Tully, Theron plays Marlo, a struggling mother of two – soon to be three – children. Her entire being centres around both her pregnancy and her existing children. Seeing that she’s completely exhausted and broken by life, her brother Craig (Mark Duplass) surprises her with an interesting new baby gift, a night nanny. After initially refusing, Marlo soon succumbs to the idea and hires Tully (Mackenzie Davis), and the pair strike up a strong and unique bond. But as the pair grow closer, Tully’s time with the family grows shorter; can Marlo survive without her?
Tully Review
A film that any mother can relate to, Tully explores many issues of modern motherhood but also seeks to address the question of the individuality of self once you become a mother. Since having her children Marlo’s own identity seems to have all but vanished and it takes hanging out with Tully for her to start to rediscover her pre-baby persona. There are many moments within the film, be it the school run, the dinner on the fly, or the bliss of a solitary coffee, that will resonate with parents, particularly mothers, everywhere. Tully is a film that, unlike others, doesn’t sugarcoat or hide the reality of parenthood.
Related: Young Adult review
Charlize Theron is easily one of the best actors of the current crop of Hollywood, and with Tully she gives another landmark performance. An actor not afraid to get her hands dirty, or to morph her idolised beauty into something more common, she is almost unrecognisable here. She manages to capture the essence of pure exhaustion perfectly and the audience immediately warms to her, even if some of her actions may be seen as unwholesome. Being a parent is hard, and with Marlo, Theron demonstrates a very real reflection of that plight. As Tully, Davis offers a nice high energy, carefree bohemian counterbalance to the sluggish world-weary Marlo. The dynamic between our two leads is sweet and shows the strength of a sisterhood-style friendship. With Tully’s support, Marlo is able to get her life on track and finally starts to feel like her old self again.
Tully Review
Whilst Tully might not generate the same buzz as Juno, it offers a different take on motherhood and ventures into some unexpected and highly emotional directions. Another strong performance from Theron, Tully should be seen by weary parents everywhere.
Tully review, by Kat Hughes, April 2018.
Tully arrives in UK cinemas from Friday 4th May 2018.
