Tully

Jason Reitman’s career began with four very good to great movies in a row. The wicked satire Thank You For Smoking, the massive out of left-field hit Juno, the humane corporate drama Up In The Air, and the criminally underseen Young Adult.

The only other director I can think of in recent times to come out of the box that hot is Quentin Tarantino. Even then, Tarantino had the trifle Four Rooms tucked between Jackie Brown and Kill Bill Volume One. While Tarantino’s first four films caused more of a stir, his short film within the Four Rooms anthology makes for less of a clean comparison to Reitman’s accomplished foursome.

Then it all came loose for Reitman. Labor Day, and Men, Women, & Children, moved neither critic nor moviegoer. Four years have passed since Men opened and nearly closed on October 17, 2014. I don’t know how intentional the break was, but I can report with no small measure of satisfaction that the eleven seasons that have passed since then have served him well.

Tully is tremendous.

Tully is not the easiest film to describe for two particular reasons. First, a film that focuses on the seemingly mundane life of a middle-aged woman about to add a third child to her family can easily sound clichéd or dull when discussing the plot.

Yes, Marlo (Charlize Theron in great form) is frustrated with her life. She has a son with behavioral issues, a husband who is aloof, and a house she can’t keep up with–all before the newborn arrives. If Pedro Almodovar hadn’t already used the title for himself, Tuly could easily be slightly paraphrased and called Wom(a)n On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. Which may sound like something you think you’ve already seen, or more likely, something you most don’t want to see.

However, the magic is always in the telling. And I’m here to say there is much magic afoot in Tully. The way Reitman showcases each scene is both specific and casual. There are little glances and expressions traded between Marlo and her husband (well played by Ron Livingston) that tell you volumes about their relationship. There’s the way toys are strewn across the floor, and stains are not cleaned from the carpet.

The home they live in is a character unto itself: the sad exterior siding, the outdated wood paneling. The house is as tired as they are. Tully is a film that looks real and even crummy.

Despite the less-than-attractive setting, Tully is a genuinely entertaining film. After Juno and Young Adult, this is the third film Diablo Cody has written for Reitman, and it’s the best of their triptych.

There’s plenty of the quick wit Cody is known for, but here it’s far less stylized than in Juno and, to a lesser degree, Young Adult. The humor is unforced, and the characters feel very much written as individuals. It’s still Diablo Cody, of course. It’s just that Tully feels more natural than her previous screenplays.

The introduction of the title character (the pitch-perfect Mackenzie Davis), a night nanny hired by Marlo’s well-to-do brother, could have come off as the sort of thing that only happens in movies. Tully is young, literate, sexy, Zen, and immune to any thought of invading one’s space (Tully takes numerous liberties in the house).

In a different movie, she might have propelled the film in a more pedestrian direction. A “hot nanny shakes up the household” kind of story. And while in some ways that’s true, it doesn’t necessarily play out the way one might think. 

The relationship between the two women is unconventional, but also just what Marlo appears to need. She feels more rested and alive than she has in what seems to be an ancient age. Something that all around her take note of.

It’s important to state just how extraordinary the work of Charlize Theron is. I’ve always thought of her as a fine actress, but on occasion, she’s often left me a bit cold. Not here. Theron is just as at home in the skin of a woman who is feeling betrayed by her body, her husband, her children, and life itself as she is playing Furiosa in Mad Max or the spy in Atomic Blonde. I wasn’t as over the moon regarding her Oscar-winning turn in Monster, but there can be no denying her performance in Tully. Free of vanity, Theron transforms her body, and the way this filmgoer thinks of her. I have a feeling I won’t be alone.

Mackenzie Davis is every bit Theron’s match. She was terrific in Halt And Catch Fire, and transfixing in Blade Runner 2049, and she’s even better here. Her youth, beauty, and free spirit are everything Marlo believes she has lost. Davis is a young actor to watch.

If Tully had been nothing but a domestic drama about postpartum depression with comedic elements, it would have been terrific. Reitman doesn’t settle for a slice-of-life film, though. In the final stretch, Tully reveals some strain of her own. She, too, is at a crossroads of sorts. At just the point that I thought I knew where the film was going, I learned just how wrong I was. Which brings me to the second reason this film is not the easiest to review. There’s a “twist” that takes place near the end of the film. One that might result in resistance from some who see it. For a moment, I was unsure. Then I retraced the film’s steps and found that Reitman had been dropping clues from the moment that Tully entered the home.

No fair saying more. Just know that it’s a bold choice, and the type of thing that only a filmmaker with supreme confidence in their abilities would follow through on, which Reitman once again seems to be. Tully turns out to be so much more than it appears to be. It’s the best kind of film. It gives you not just what you want, but more than you knew you wanted.

As the film closes with one of the loveliest images you will see all year, it becomes clear that Reitman’s knack has returned, and better than ever.