The loneliness of motherhood

Film review: Tully

MANILA, Philippines — If you’re one of those moviegoers rueing how all the big releases lately have been comic book superheroes or horror films, and pining for a thinking person’s film release, you can celebrate, head to the cinema and look for Tully.  It’s the latest from director Jason Reitman and writer Cody Diablo, who collaborated previously on Juno and Young Adult. It stars Charlize Theron (who was also in Young Adult); and she is amazing in Tully, giving us a transformative portrayal that, in a different way, reminds us of why she previously won an Oscar for Monster.

It’s a motherhood film that’s intelligent and witty, and done with an indie feel. Marlo (Theron) is pregnant with her third child when the film opens, her son a special child, who is described by the school he attends as “quirky.” Her husband Drew (Ron Livingston) is something of a laidback individual, while her brother Craig (Mark Duplass) is a “rich asshole,” who in one scene, offers to pay for a night nanny to help Marlo when the third child is born. After the birth of Mia, in a moment of sheer frustration over how lonely and harried life can be as a mother, Marlo surrenders to the offer and presto, that night Tully (Mackenzie Davis) shows up. She proves to be an immediate miracle worker, even if she seems to act a little bit weird and otherworldly.

The great thing about Tully is how it avoids Hollywood clichés. The surrogate mother theme doesn’t explore some Mary Poppins or Nanny McPhee direction. And unlike other films that will call motherhood the greatest achievement a woman can chalk up in her lifetime, or go the opposite direction by advocating escape or an extra-marital affair, Tully takes a wise middle path, that’s grounded in reality, and yet gifts us with a revelatory plot twist that surprises and satisfies. It’s compelling movie-making that knows exactly what it wants to say, and how to say it.

Theron is wonderful here, de-glamorizing while still looking interesting. And kudos to Davis as Tully for giving us offbeat and earnest in equal measures. This is done so well that when the big reveal comes and we look back, we see how the filmmakers have really created enough foreshadowing and portents to make everything make sense and follow a logical path.

Compact and tidy, here’s a film that reminds us that a strong story and good acting were once thought enough to carry a film.