Motherhood is one strange state of mind and although this film is billed as a comedy, it is more like an adult fairy tale. There are plenty of laughs, but you’ll see, here, that motherhood is serious business.
Charlize Theron plays exhausted, overwhelmed and depressed pregnant Mom, Marlo, stretched in more ways than one. Theron, known for the glamorously sleek, body you’ve seen in movies and perfume ads, is not even close in this film. She gained 50 pounds eating sugar and processed foods for this role and the pregnancy belly she wore weighed another 40 pounds. She looks pretty haggard for most of the film. She says carrying around that extra 90 pounds was no fun.
This is the 3rd collaboration for Director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) and the second collaboration for both with CharlizeTheron(Young Adult). Theron has two children and knows well how much work babies are when you don’t get enough sleep. Cody just had her own third child when she came up with the idea and she sent a script to Reitman which she wrote in just 6 weeks. Reitman was impressed and taken aback since it took him 7 years to write Up in the Air!
Reitman portrays Marlo sitting slouched, belly up, in a chair, looking as if she hates the world. You can feel the burden and the pressure building. The director shows in every scene how hard it is handling house, spouse, and kids wielding a belly that’s a ton of discomfort while hormones are raging and totally exhausted. But she still tries to pretend that everything is fine when she goes out into the world. Cody so accurately reflects the edginess and resentment in her screenwriting of what Marlo has to deal with daily. That sharp edge cuts right through.
Marlo has a needy daughter, but her anxiety-ridden son, who may be autistic, is the biggest challenge. He routinely kicks the back of her seat while she’s driving till it vibrates. He gets into trouble in school so often that the Principal has a hot line to her cell phone. Marlo’s nerves are raw to start with, so the scene where she goes from exhausted blob to sarcastic, screaming banshee in the school principal’s office gets totally out of control. Theron does full-on tantrum so well, it’s funny. We can just see Reitman yelling, “Go for it!” And she does.
Marlo’s hormones are already raging when, after delivery, postpartum hits the sleep deprived Mom like a mack truck. Everyone thinks having a baby is so wonderful and such a blessing, but this shows how it wreaks havoc with body and psyche. There is nothing glamorous about Marlo, staring off into space, attached to an noisy electric pump on each breast. The scene where Marlo is so tired she drops the phone on her baby’s face is pathetic, conveying her exhaustion without a word.
Her passive husband, Drew (Ron Livingston – Office Space, Swingers) is a nice guy who calmly stays out of the fray. Livingston plays detached, especially in the scenes where where he’s lying in bed, consumed by his video games with headphones oblivious to the needs of his emotionally, mentally and physically drained wife. You want to goose Drew to help Marlo more. Reitman says it’s much harder to show the dynamics of a family already settled in their own routine than to show a new couple falling in love. But he captures their nuances realistically.
Marlo’s brother, Craig, (Mark Duplass) is super successful with the perfect politically correct life, wife and kids. This irks envious Marlo no end. Seeing that his sister needs help, Craig offers to gift her a night nanny for relief. Marlo balks but finally gives in. Duplass plays the brother role perfectly as generous but a little obnoxious.
Here comes guardian angel, Tully (Mackenzie Davis-Blade Runner 2045, The Martian.) Davis had the unusual look and the energy Reitman says he was looking for. Everyone would love to have a Tully. She is a modern day Mary Poppins who anticipates every need before you do. Marlo is suspicious at first. Tully knows exactly how to handle not only the baby and Marlo, she takes care of her, the house, the kids, even offering a wealth of self-help advice to help Marlo regain confidence.
Reitman has cinematographer, Eric Steelberg shoot their scenes together tight and hand-held so it looks like Marlo glows in the shadow of Tully. Marlo slowly gets back in control to become the happy, efficient wife and mother she wants to be. In the process, she and Tully bond and become besties.
Reitman takes it a step at a time, showing the trust, tenderness and friendship that develop to help Marlo begin to find herself again. Theron and Davis have their own chemistry which makes their relationship seem very positive and hopeful. But writer, Cody, always puts in a twist. This is where the film takes a turn. It becomes raw and unrealistic for a purpose. Marlo is taken to the very edge before the filmmakers drag her back to a new reality.
The third act is confusing but thought-provoking. Cody and Reitman show how the pain of motherhood all too often comes after the birth. Theron’s commitment to the role is solid and strong. Davis plays magical nanny well. Many Moms will surely relate to this film. But with this portrayal of motherhood, don’t look for it to become a Mother’s Day classic.
Focus Features 1 hour 36 minutes R Reviewed May 2, 2018
