Tully review: A brutally honest portrait of motherhood
By Matt Conway
Jason Riteman and Diablo Cody’s latest, Tully, intimately explores the struggles of being a parent.
Juno is one of my favorite films of all time, with Ellen Paige grabbing the screen with her quick-witted performance (still sad she didn’t win the Oscar). The film was also a fantastic collaboration between director Jason Riteman and writer Diablo Cody, with Cody eventually going home with an Oscar for her work. Since then, both Riteman (aside from the fantastic Up in the Air) and Cody have struggled to match their previous success.
After working apart for over a decade, the two have reunited with their latest project Tully. The film follows Marlo, a stressed-out mom with two children and a third on its way. Unable to cope with the massive stress and work, she hires a nighttime nanny to not only help her kids, but to also help her.
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Tully is the perfect movie to celebrate Mother’s Day, as its an authentic approach to motherhood and its respective challenges will likely leave its audience with a lot of respect for their own mothers.
Bringing this film to life is Charlize Theron, who delivers another fantastic performance as Marlo. Theron delivers a naturalistic performance that digs deep into the complications of motherhood. Between her lashes of frustration, sadness, and joy, Theron encompasses the full circle of emotional experiences and creating a portrayal that is sure to be relatable for audiences. Much of the film’s core relies on Marlo’s relationship with the nanny Tully, with Mackenzie Davis’ effortless charisma making the part stand out. Theron and Davis’ chemistry is top-notch and develops naturally throughout the film.
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It’s no surprise that Riteman and Cody again make for a great director/writer team. Few are bettering at visualizing the emotional anguish of characters than Riteman, with his all too real portrayals of motherhood’s toughest moments create an empathetic approach. Cody on the other hand is a master of naturalistic dialogue, thriving in quiet scenes where respective characters bare their souls. The movie’s mixture of style and substance is effortless, and I credit the duo for exploring less-discussed issues like postpartum depression and mental illness with the weight they deserve.
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Where Tully may lose its audience is with its ending, which shocks with a fairly interesting twist. While I don’t mind where the twist takes the narrative, I do have to say it wasn’t quite as satisfied as it’s intended. Some of the film’s more interesting thematic subjects are left underbaked, and I think that perhaps an additional 10-15 minutes of screen time could have rounded the movie out more.
When my sole complaint with a movie is that it’s not long enough, it’s pretty safe to say I enjoyed it. Tully’s deeply empathetic look at motherhood fails to ever hit a false beat, ranking among one of the year’s best films so far. If you are looking for a movie to take your mom to, I couldn’t think of a more rewarding experience.