TULLY (15)

Posted by ruthmedia on May 5, 2018 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TULLY (15)

Run time: 96 MINS

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Ron Livingston, Elaine Tan, Asher Miles Fallica, Lia Frankland

Synopsis: Marlo, a suburban mother of two is struggling to cope with the weight of her responsibilities. Upon the birth of her third child, she is gifted a night nanny by her wealthy brother. Resistant at first, Marlo eventually yields and upon arrival, free spirited Tully instantly relieves the pressure on Marlo and the pair form an unlikely bond

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbiakAVaXgU

Director Jason Reitman teams up again with screenwriter Diabolo Cody [Juno (2007); Young Adult (2011), which also starred Charlize Theron)] for Tully, which is a funny and honest look at the trials of parenthood.

Marlo [Charlize Theron – Atomic Blonde (2017), Young Adult (2011) Monster (2004)] an exhausted mother of three, including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her smugly successful brother Craig [Mark Duplass – Creep (2014); Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)]. Initially hesitant because of the extravagance, she gradually relents and comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully [Mackenzie Davis – Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Black Mirror (TV 2011-); The Martian (2015)].

Charlize Theron is astounding as the exhausted mother in Tully, which combines comedy, drama and almost every emotion.  She apparently gained fifty pounds in weight to convincingly play the mother of two – a bright eight-year-old daughter, Sarah (Lia Frankland) and Jonah (Asher Miles Fallica) who has special needs – in the last stages of a stressful, unplanned third pregnancy

Marlo has so far suffered in silence, unbeknown to well-meaning husband Drew [Ron Livingston – Adaptation (2002); Band of Brothers (2001); The Conjuring (2013)] who often travels away for work and plays computer video games in bed

Postpartum depression, exhaustion and stress levels are cranked up to breaking point when Marlo is advised to find another school for Jonah, who can’t fit in at his current one.

Then the young and seemingly tireless Mary Poppins-like Tully arrives to lend a much-needed hand and consequently transform Marlo’s life overnight. Tully acts almost like a life coach and helps Marlo reconnect to parts of her former life.

With Cody’s sparkling, witty dialogue – which pulls no punches in this portrait of an exhausted forty-year-old Mum – Tully is empathically moving and heart-warming.

Images courtesy of UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK