Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody collaborated on ‘Juno’ and ‘Young Adult.’ Now they reunite for their third film ‘Tully.’ In a way, it feels like a sequel to the dark comedy ‘Young Adult.’ Once again it stars the talented actress Charlize Theron in the lead role but this time taking on motherhood in her forties. The visual of seeing her character with a pregnant belly says it all. On the outside, she tells everyone that having a baby is a blessing but on the inside lies the truth that maternity is a stressful time for women. Although the story jumps from being a comedy to a serious drama, it is Cody’s sharp dialogue and Theron’s terrific depiction of a mother trying to hold it all together that keeps ‘Tully’ on track and worth your time.
Marlo (Theron) has her hands full. Just days away from giving birth to baby number three, she barely has any time to spend with her eight-year-old daughter Sarah (Lia Frankland) and her 5-year-old son Jonah (Asher Miles Fallicia), who is labeled “quirky” by his private school but shows signs of autism. When the school administrator (Gameela Wright) suggests that her son needs a personal aide, it just compounds Marlo’s stress level worrying about the additional expense. To make matters worse, her husband Drew (Ron Livingston) cannot wait to settle down in front of the TV playing video games. Theron literally does most of the heavy lifting in the film. She gained approximately 50 pounds for the role which adds to the authenticity of her performance.
The story gets interesting when Marlo gets an offer from her well-off brother (Mark Duplass) for a night nanny. He hopes that it will help his sister come back from her postpartum funk. At first, she dismisses the idea. Soon thereafter, the baby is born and her son Jonah has a meltdown on the way to school. It’s a telling scene as Reitman amps up the noise and then shifts to an aerial view of the car. From that vantage point, there is silence. Marlo calls the phone number and voila, Tully (Mackenzie Davis) shows up at her doorstep like a millennial Mary Poppins. The first thing Marlo notices about the 26-year-old is her slender mid-riff. Any apprehension soon fades away when Marlo gets a good night’s sleep and wakes up to a clean house. Davis is a good fit for the role of Tully. With a sparkle in her eye, she radiates that youthful exuberance that anything is possible.
As the supporting cast takes a backseat, it’s the blossoming relationship between Marlo and Tully that takes center stage. Their conversations also show how gifted Cody is with dialogue. The two women even get to have a girl’s night out. It makes Marlo miss her carefree twenties. It’s a necessary arc that she must go through as she examines her unfulfilled dreams and her new responsibilities as a mother of three. Obviously, the reality is that Tully cannot be there for her forever. It’s the notion that she will be unable to do it on her own that she fears. Theron is pitch-perfect as a woman at the crossroads. We are rooting for her every step of the way so she can get on with her life.
If you’ve seen the trailer for ‘Tully,’ you probably think it is going to be about a funny look at an exhausted mother after her pregnancy. It has way more to offer. This film digs deep into the postpartum phase of maternity. When she gets the opportunity to be taken care of by a nanny, it allows her to finally take a breather. This is practically unheard of for working class mothers that cannot afford this level of childcare. The film tackles the dark side of being a mother like no other film. Theron’s character confesses, “Your twenties are great. Then your thirties come around the corner like a garbage truck at 5am.” That line says it all. To all the mothers out there, thank you for going through the weight gain, sleepless nights and putting your career on hold for procreation. ‘Tully’ is a brutally honest depiction of motherhood that says it is okay to get help and to stop trying to be “superwomen.”
