Tully

Dir: Ivan Reitman

2018

***

While I did enjoy Jason Reitman’s seventh feature film, there are aspects of it that don’t quite sit well with me. Why it is still referred to as a comedy is beyond me – it’s not funny and I don’t think it ever had the intention to be. It’s fine that its not funny, it’s a solid drama with elements that people can relate to that may in turn make them smile. Not comedy. Charlize Theron is brilliant and her and Mackenzie Davis’ chemistry makes the film incredibly watchable. I saw the twist conclusion coming from a mile away, so I was looking for plot and continuity slip ups, of which I found a few. All forgivable, but I think it could have been a little less obvious as to where it was going. When I guess the ending to a film I feel pretty smug about it for about 30 seconds, then I just feel disappointed. I like a surprise and this ending should have been a big one, but it wasn’t. The film was written by Diablo Cody in what is the fourth collaboration between her and Reitman and the film is totally recognisable as theirs. I believe there is a lot of Cody in her scripts, particularly in the films she has made with Reitman, and Tully is perhaps the most honest. Parenting is not easy but parenting for the third time is tougher, even though you know what you’re doing third time round you are also doing things three times over much of the time. However, people do manage. Hard work for sure, but I know mothers of three who are more than a little angry with the portrayal of a women going through her third pregnancy. Their partners aren’t to happy with how the dad of three is represented either. The story is about Marlo (Theron), a mother of two, who is pregnant with an unplanned third child. Jonah, her son, has a developmental disorder that doctors have been unable to diagnose and her husband Drew (Ron Livingston) works long hours and is little help in the evenings, choosing to play video games instead of assisting with child care or paying Marlo much attention. When Marlo and Drew visit her wealthy brother Craig’s (Mark Duplass) house for dinner, he offers to pay for a night nanny as a baby shower gift, but Marlo rebuffs him. Craig and his east Asian wife are both uncomfortable to watch stereotypes. Marlo soon gives birth to baby Mia, and quickly becomes overwhelmed and exhausted. After Jonah’s principal recommends that he be placed in a different school, Marlo breaks down, and she retrieves the contact information for the night nanny. That night, Marlo is visited by Tully (Mackenzie Davis), the night nanny. Despite an initial awkwardness, Marlo and Tully develop a close friendship over the course of several nights. Tully proves to be an exceptional nanny, cleaning the house and baking cupcakes for Jonah’s class. When Marlo mentions that Drew has a fetish for women in 1950s diner waitress uniforms, Tully puts on a uniform that Marlo had previously purchased and they engage in a threesome with Drew. This is the point where I guessed the conclusion. One night, Tully arrives to work visibly distressed, and says that she has had a fight with her roommate due to her roommate's anger over Tully bringing home too many hook-ups. Tully impulsively suggests going into the city for a drink, to which Marlo reluctantly agrees, and the pair drive to Marlo’s old neighborhood in Bushwick, Brooklyn. While at a bar, Tully suddenly tells Marlo that she can no longer work for her, explaining that she was only there to “bridge a gap,” and that she feels that she is no longer needed. While driving home, Marlo falls asleep at the wheel, and swerves the car into a river. Marlo sees herself trapped underwater, and envisions Tully as a mermaid coming to rescue her. She awakens at a hospital with Drew. A staff psychiatrist approaches Drew and informs him that Marlo was suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and exhaustion. When the doctor asks about their nanny, Drew tells her that he doesn't know much about her. A hospital clerk asks Drew for Marlo's maiden name, and he provides it: "Tully". I am Jack’s total lack of surprise. It’s basically Fight Club without Meat Loaf. I liked the idea very much, of speaking to your younger self and engaging in a little self-analysis but I found the handling of Marlo’s mental health and her postnatal depression was very poor. I think it could have either been more realistic with fewer clichés and stereotypes or more fantastical but as it is the balance is off kilter. Sure, it’s a film, it’s not real etc but as there have been next to no true representations of postnatal depression or indeed extreme sleep deprivation and exhaustion and the mental health issues that can come after having a child, it was a pretty unfortunate place to start. Like I say, I enjoyed it but I found it irresponsible and let down by the usual Hollywood clichés and stereotype. I am Jack’s overwhelming feeling of missed opportunity.