Tully

       Tully is about a mother who is going through her third pregnancy and her brother offers to hire a night nanny for her. When the baby comes, Marlo initially refuses the offer, but after a couple of weeks of sleepless nights, she eventually caves in and hires her. On her first night, she immediately comes off as weird and doesn't hesitate to make herself comfortable. Marlo feels uncomfortable about the whole thing, but eventually, their relationship grows along with the baby.
       This movie was written by Diablo Cody and was directed by Jason Reitman. The pair has also made films such as Young Adult and their most iconic film to date, Juno. Tully seems to be a part of this overarching narrative that Reitman and Cody are trying to create with their movies. I'm not saying that the same characters are in all their movies, but that there is one story being told by multiple people. That story isn't defined by one person or trial, but rather, is about the many hardships of life. The non-fiction aspects of life that make us desire something fictitious. So where does that put Tully? Tully focuses its attention on the hardships of motherhood by establishing a character who is having their third child and seems to be over the idea of raising another kid at this point. As far as placing it on Reitman and Cody's narrative, Tully comes in towards the end at the parenting part of life. Marlo still loves her newborn child, but she can't seem to get a good nights sleep with Mia, the newborn, crying every two hours. She is experienced in this and showcases a mood that is characterized by exhaustion and a "going through the motions" attitude. Marlo also has to raise her two other kids as well with one being a little more difficult than the other. Marlo longs for a fantasy world where she can do it all and not become overwhelmed with exhaustion. She thinks a good mom has to be the mom that plans parties and PTA meetings and such. With that in mind, do Reitman and Cody come full circle with this story and their others movies about life? I won't say that this is their last movie like this, but this movie works both as a section in his life narrative and as a standalone movie.
        Sara Stewart from the New York Post stated in her review on this movie "Suffice to say, this is a take on the realities of motherhood that dares to go where few mainstream films have gone before." I can't think of a film off the top of my head that depicted motherhood in such a realistically and almost somber manner. It's such a gripping story where almost nothing happens. It's just about a mother raising her three kids. The plot here is more driven by theme rather than actual events that move the story forward.
         Charlize Theron is a fantastic actress to the point where I even felt the exhaustion her character must have been feeling. Mackenzie Davis, who plays the night nanny, is also fantastic along with Ron Livingston who plays Marlo's husband.
         I loved this movie. I loved the chemistry between Marlo and Tully, the night nanny. Their relationship blossoms as Marlo begins to have the energy to do things that she thinks regular moms do. That fantasy starts to become less important however as Marlo starts to show some thought as to how to invigorate their household with boring, but incredible sameness.
         My only gripe with this movie has to do with Marlo. There is a small fact about her that gets some attention in the beginning, as if they were going somewhere with it, but it doesn't get much more than a side mention as the film progresses. It ultimately makes that part of her feel forced in just for the sake of satisfying a certain audience.
          I was touched by this movie. Its a charming and wonderful story that I think will tug at you because, towards the end, the film becomes surprisingly more deep than you might think. It's a delicious treat that expands the filmography of Reitman and Cody, who truly favor the non-fiction over the fiction. 9.8/10