Review of Tully (2018) by Douglas C — 04 May 2018

Thanks to two wonderfully realized and captivating performances from Charlie Theron as put-upon mom Marlo and Mackenzie Davis as her youthful night nanny savior Tully as well as a resonant and biting script, the latest team up between Jason Reitman and stripper turned Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody is truly a massive achievement in virtually every way.

"Tully" revels in and pauses for the mundane moments while never once sacrificing character development for the sake of a statement. Cody's script is pretty much the inverse of the one she penned for 2011's "Young Adult" that featured Theron as a bitter, angsty beauty queen who comes back to her small, Midwestern hometown in the hopes of wooing her already married high school crush.

Her character here is basically just trying to survive while juggling the immense responsibility of tending to three kids whose personalities couldn't be more distinct. Theron, by now, is masterful at conveying emotion with just a raised eyebrow or a deadpan line delivery that makes her all the more evocative.

A welcome supporting turn by mumble core film director Mark Duplass as Marlo's rich brother who comes to her with a solution by hiring a night nanny undercuts the tension by pointing out the fact that her troubled sister in just in need of some relief or else she'll risk implosion.

Their fully relatable relationship will certainly echo for the majority of siblings watching this movie for the first time. As ever, Cody's script appears even more natural and down-to-earth than her first feature script "Juno" ever was.

Instead of doubling down on the quirkiness of that earlier effort, she mounts different scenarios with an abundance of weight and gravity that comes from lived-in experience. No longer is Cody the plucky and overly eager young screenwriter looking to break in.

Now, with over a decade of professional credits to her belt, she makes a defining statement as a woman and aspiring feminist icon. It is worth noting that the interplay between Davis and Theron is also the highlight of the movie.

Davis wisely doesn't try to overact but instead exudes the confidence that Marlo lacks as her character is also wildly different from the shy, introspective lesbian she played in the breakout episode of Season 4's "Black Mirror" called "San Junipero.

" Apparently, it was enough of a performance to put her on the shortlist to star in James Cameron's revival of his much lauded "Terminator" sci-fi franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed almost every bit of "Tully" as it serves as a must watch not just for mothers everywhere but for people grappling with everyday issues.