Tully (2018) Review

Tully (2018)

Directed by Jason Reitman

Written by Diablo Cody

Starring: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Ron Livingston

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
A mother of three hires a night nanny to help with her newborn.

My Opinion:

I was looking forward to this film as I liked the other two Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody collaborations. Juno was especially good – I loved the writing & humor. Young Adult was okay but slightly forgettable. I liked Tully much more than Young Adult but Juno is still the best by far. I appreciated the realistic depiction of motherhood & aging in this, though, which is what I think is making a lot of women like this one. But Tully is definitely not for everyone and I’d only recommend it to a very small group of women who would be able to relate to it. It’s far too indie and “dramatic” for the masses (I went to this quickly as you just know it’s one that’ll disappear from cinemas right away).

Theron is great in this. She gained 50 pounds for this role so I guess the post-baby belly was real? Gotta love realistic movies that don’t show a woman who has just given birth with a completely flat tummy afterwards. God I hate movies that do that! She’s a mother who is struggling but the movie doesn’t show her having some massive meltdown or having funny family romcom type moments. I just looked up Diablo Cody to see if she has kids as it felt like she must since she got things so right with this movie. Yep, she has three. Been there, done that! As they say, write what you know.

When it comes to Cody, she’s a similar age to me which is why her movies are going to speak to me more than to other generations. Other than Jennifer’s Body, of course. WTF was that?! At one point we see Theron and Mackenzie Davis (Tully, the night nanny) watching Diane Lane in Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. So few people will know what the hell they’re watching. By the way, that movie is great (I reviewed it HERE). And they also listen to loads of Cyndi Lauper at one point. I’ve realized in recent years that Lauper is truly underrated.

As for Mackenzie Davis, she’s perfect in the role as the night nanny who helps Theron through a tough time. She absolutely MUST have been chosen for this after Reitman or Cody or whoever watched her in the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror. She has a very likable quality – it will be interesting to see if she gets bigger roles. She’s already had small parts in big films, such as Blade Runner 2049. I really liked her & Theron together in this.

I’ll wrap this up by saying that I appreciated Tully but I’m also a part of the very small target audience for this movie. I’d recommend this to some bloggers but only a very specific few (Abbi Osbiston – I think you’d like this!). And I’d also recommend these movies if Tully is your kind of thing:

• Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains: Diane Lane as a punk rocker with some 80s feminism going on.

• Waitress: A lovely Adrienne Shelly indie movie that I adore about a pregnant Keri Russell not being very excited about the baby she’s going to have with her abusive husband.

• Kelly & Cal: Starring Juliette Lewis struggling with aging and having a new baby. This movie got no attention but I really liked Lewis in it despite not liking her when younger. I’m relating to her now in my old age!

Oh, and Whip It! That’s nothing like Tully, though. It’s just a kick ass “chick flick” that I really enjoyed and felt like mentioning again. I’m not a girly chick flick kind of girl. I see the name Kate Hudson on a movie poster and cringe. I hear the girls in my office talk about Fifty Shades Of Grey and want to barf. Most women are more complex than that. The movies I mentioned above are MY kind of chick flicks. We need more like those and like Tully. Silly romcoms are fine sometimes but give us the good, realistic stuff too.

My Rating: 7/10