Tully

Fearless Charlize Theron piled on nearly 50 pounds to play Marlo, a bleary, stressed-out, suburban New Jersey mother who, much to the amazement of her uncomprehending husband (Ron Livingston), hesitantly accepts her wealthy brother Craig’s (Mark Duplass) gift of a “night nanny” after she gives birth to her third child. The nanny is a home healthcare aide who covers the night-shift, bringing the newborn into the bedroom for breast-feeding, allowing the mother to get some much-needed sleep. “They’re like ninjas,” Craig explains. “They sneak in and out. You barely know they’re there.” But when svelte, 26-year-old Tully (Mackenzie Davis), appears on their doorstep, Marlo—who has seen far too many The Hand That Rocks the Cradle-inspired thrillers—is reluctant to surrender baby Mia. But she’s completely exhausted, overworked, and overwhelmed. Gradually, Marlo warms up to earthy Tully, who insists on caring not only for Mia but also for Marlo, who has her hands full with challenging, 8-year-old Sarah (Lia Frankland) and quirky kindergartner Jonah (Asher Miles Fallica), whose behavior places him somewhere on the autism spectrum. Definite progress is made until one fateful night when the empathy that ostensibly connected the two women is sorely tested. Adroitly written by Diablo Cody and uncompromisingly directed by Jason Reitman, Tully may wobble on a very thin line of credibility, but it does so successfully. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a segment on “The Relationships of Tully” (10 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a dark comedy.] (S. Granger)