Tully is the name of a night nanny, a sort of nocturnal Mary Poppins who shows up after dark to take over for beleaguered mom of three Charlize Theron. The pressures of motherhood have brought Theron to her wits' end, and what she needs more than anything is a good night's sleep. Tully lets her have that, and then allows her to have even more, and through her help Theron regains some of the youth and vigor she forfeited for family life.
Who exactly is Tully? Where does she come from? What's her story? The movie does eventually tell us in a plot twist that's disappointingly predictable. The whole movie is disappointing really, but it didn't have to be. Writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, who brought "Juno" to the screen, tantalize us with hints of magical realism, making it only that much more of a let down when those hints prove to be red herrings. "Tully" is yet another movie about adults who can't adjust to their own decisions and forego enjoying the life they have for the life they're convinced they've lost. I don't have a lot of patience with stories like this, and the same goes for "Tully."
I really like Charlize Theron as an actress, but for some reason I don't like her in Jason Reitman movies. Their other partnership, "Young Adult," was also a test of patience, asking the audience to stick around long enough for Theron's caustic, juvenile character to grow up. In "Tully," she doesn't play a bad person, but she does play an awfully off putting one. The problem is, she doesn't become more likable or relatable as she loosens up, though we're clearly supposed to think she does. And add this to the list of movies that patly and cleanly tie a bow on mental illness and suggest that if everyone just wakes up one morning and decides to try harder everything will be magically better. It doesn't work that way.
Grade: B-
Who exactly is Tully? Where does she come from? What's her story? The movie does eventually tell us in a plot twist that's disappointingly predictable. The whole movie is disappointing really, but it didn't have to be. Writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, who brought "Juno" to the screen, tantalize us with hints of magical realism, making it only that much more of a let down when those hints prove to be red herrings. "Tully" is yet another movie about adults who can't adjust to their own decisions and forego enjoying the life they have for the life they're convinced they've lost. I don't have a lot of patience with stories like this, and the same goes for "Tully."
I really like Charlize Theron as an actress, but for some reason I don't like her in Jason Reitman movies. Their other partnership, "Young Adult," was also a test of patience, asking the audience to stick around long enough for Theron's caustic, juvenile character to grow up. In "Tully," she doesn't play a bad person, but she does play an awfully off putting one. The problem is, she doesn't become more likable or relatable as she loosens up, though we're clearly supposed to think she does. And add this to the list of movies that patly and cleanly tie a bow on mental illness and suggest that if everyone just wakes up one morning and decides to try harder everything will be magically better. It doesn't work that way.
Grade: B-