Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.
Director:
Jason Reitman
Stars:
Charlize Theron,
Patrick Wilson,
Patton Oswalt
A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.
Director:
Debra Granik
Stars:
Thomasin McKenzie,
Ben Foster,
Jeffery Rifflard
A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.
Directors:
John Francis Daley,
Jonathan Goldstein
Stars:
Jason Bateman,
Rachel McAdams,
Kyle Chandler
Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost.
Director:
Cory Finley
Stars:
Olivia Cooke,
Anya Taylor-Joy,
Anton Yelchin
Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
Director:
Craig Gillespie
Stars:
Margot Robbie,
Sebastian Stan,
Allison Janney
Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.
Director:
Sean Baker
Stars:
Brooklynn Prince,
Bria Vinaite,
Willem Dafoe
A woman filming a documentary on childhood rape victims starts to question the nature of her childhood relationship with her riding instructor and running coach.
Director:
Jennifer Fox
Stars:
Elizabeth Debicki,
Laura Dern,
Ellen Burstyn
The film is about Marlo, a mother of three, including a newborn. Marlo's brother gives her a night nanny as a gift. Hesitant with the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully.
The film was show at first Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) on June 23, 2018. See more »
Goofs
Early in the film, an elderly woman looks disapprovingly at the main character ordering a decaf coffee (after telling her that caffeine is bad for the fetus). In fact, caffeine is bad primarily because it raises blood pressure without providing any nutrients to the fetus. This is not the case with decaf coffee. The blood pressure change associated with decaf coffee is not statistically significant and puts the baby at no risk of harm. Theoretically, if a pregnant mother drank dozens of cups of decaf coffee it *might* increase her blood pressure but it is very unlikely (not to mention very difficult to actually achieve that level of consumption). See more »
Quotes
Marlo:
[Sarcastically]
I want to kill myself.
Sarah:
What?
Drew:
No, mommy's just joking, honey. Like a clown.
Marlo:
[Mime-honks her nose]
Honk!
See more »
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Written by Robert Hazard
Performed by Cyndi Lauper
Published by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing See more »
Tully isn't quite funny enough to entertain as a comedy, nor is it weighty enough to engross as a drama. It certainly tries to be both, but in doing so spreads itself thin to the point where neither the comedic nor dramatic elements are explored beyond a superficial level. The result is a film that's mildly pleasant and inoffensive but fails to leave a lasting impression. I appreciated the themes dealing with aging, the transitory nature of identity, and motherhood as an identity void. There are some clever observations on the matter here and there, and Charlize gives a committed and enjoyable performance. But it's somewhat slight, and the film goes on to attempt to dig deeper with a twist ending that doesn't quite land. It feels like it's trying to reach for something profound to give the film some much-needed impact but plays as unnecessary and contrived. There are also times when Diablo Cody's trademark sardonic dialogue veers into overwritten territory, with characters saying things that feel too much like script-talk - "I'm like Saudi Arabia; I have an energy surplus." ... huh? It's mostly fine though, but rarely more than that.
Strong 2.5/5
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Tully isn't quite funny enough to entertain as a comedy, nor is it weighty enough to engross as a drama. It certainly tries to be both, but in doing so spreads itself thin to the point where neither the comedic nor dramatic elements are explored beyond a superficial level. The result is a film that's mildly pleasant and inoffensive but fails to leave a lasting impression. I appreciated the themes dealing with aging, the transitory nature of identity, and motherhood as an identity void. There are some clever observations on the matter here and there, and Charlize gives a committed and enjoyable performance. But it's somewhat slight, and the film goes on to attempt to dig deeper with a twist ending that doesn't quite land. It feels like it's trying to reach for something profound to give the film some much-needed impact but plays as unnecessary and contrived. There are also times when Diablo Cody's trademark sardonic dialogue veers into overwritten territory, with characters saying things that feel too much like script-talk - "I'm like Saudi Arabia; I have an energy surplus." ... huh? It's mostly fine though, but rarely more than that.
Strong 2.5/5