Review of "Tully," DVD version

 Review of

Tully, DVD version

Four out of five stars

Parents can relate to most of it

 Marlo (Charlize Theron) is a married woman that has just had her third child. The previous two are a boy and a girl where the boy has unusual behavioral issues. The word most commonly used to describe him is “quirky.”  His behavior caused the officials at his elementary school to tell Marlo that she needs to enroll him elsewhere. Swamped with dealing with three young children, Marlo starts to exhibit signs of unstable behavior. 

 Hoping to help, her brother offers to hire a night nanny. This is a person that comes into the home at night and deals with all of the baby’s needs, except of course breast feeding. At first, Marlo rejects the idea, but after a particularly bad day that leaves her almost catatonic, she contacts the nanny.

 Their first contact is a bit awkward, but it does not take long before Marlo improves. One or two nights of good sleep will do that. They quickly develop a womance, talking about life and what they hope to do. There is some very deep girl talk. Marlo even allows the nanny to dress up in a waitress uniform and engage in some light sexual play with her husband. Up to this point the movie seems about parenthood and the challenges. One that parents can relate to, but the viewer starts to wonder what the point of the movie is. 

 On a whim, Marlo and the nanny get in her car and drive into Brooklyn for a night of drinking and dancing. On the way back, Marlo falls asleep and runs off the road into a body of water. There is a flash of the supernatural where a mermaid rescues Marlo from the water. At this point the movie gets strange and ambiguous. 

  The reader is left with the possibility that the night nanny never existed. It is a potential plot twist that turns all of the events with the nanny into the realm of “did it really happen?” This ambiguity is what turns what was a rather uneventful movie into one that puts wonder into the mind of the viewer. While some people want full closure, I am one that does not. I enjoy a bit of ambiguity, which is why I liked this movie.