Theron, right, lets it all hang out in a bravura performance.
For anyone who’s survived the challenges of motherhood, there’s something deeply satisfying about seeing normally gorgeous Charlize Theron in Tully. Her house is a disaster, littered with diapers and toys and bottles of breast milk. Her flabby body is slumped in a chair, and she’s got bags under her eyes and greasy hair. She is seriously sleep deprived — a bit crazed, actually. Her daughter looks at her and asks “Mom, what’s wrong with your body?”
We laugh because we’ve been there.
Tully is new black comedy from the team that made Juno and Young Adult — director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. Cody’s scripts are a bit too cute for me sometimes — and maybe it’s because so much of the bittersweet comedy of parenthood resonated with me after raising twins — but I was thoroughly mesmerized by Tully, which had its WIsconsin premiere at this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival.
It certainly helps to have the fabulous Theron at the center of the film. She’s perfectly imperfect as Marlo, the overwhelmed mom who is truly at the end of her rope. By the time she has her third baby, her son (who may be on the autism spectrum) is on the verge of getting kicked out of Catholic school. Her sweet but unhelpful husband (Ron Livingston) travels a lot for work and escapes the stress by playing lots of videogames. She’s late to everything, and barely holding it together when her rich brother offers to pay for a “night nanny.” Before long, a hot young woman (Mackenzie Davis) appears on her doorstep and says exactly what everyone wants to hear: “I’m here to take care of you.”
Tully is nurturing, she’s fun, she’s accepting, she bakes. She helps Marlo through a rough spell. They get into trouble — and I’m not inclined to say much more. If you’re a parent, get a sitter. See it in the theater (with popcorn). But you don’t have to be a parent to enjoy Tully. We’ve all been a parent or a child — and this film is really about how we take care of ourselves, and each other.
