“Tully”
Charlize Theron, who packed on the pounds and de-glammed for the role that won her Oscar 13 years ago in “Monster” could repeat history- again gaining weight and de-glamming in “Tully”. But this time it’s a dramedy. Every mom will relate to Charlize playing Marlo, a mom of 2 expecting her 3rd child (an unplanned child), after weathering a bad bout of post-partum depression with her 2nd child. On top of everything, her first born is probably on the autism spectrum. Ron Livingston plays her husband, whose escape is video gaming in bed. Marlo’s wealthy brother (Mark Duplass) offers his sister a night nanny, Canadian actress MacKenzie Davis. And that’s when this movie turns into one very unusual female bonding movie. The detours in this one blew me away. So did Charlize Theron’s brave performance. Her Marlo is not Hollywood’s version of mom. She doesn’t magically lose the baby weight overnight. There’s no perfect first post-delivery pic for Instagram. This is hardcore. Every expectant mom should take her husband or partner to see “Tully”. Kudos Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, who first teamed up to give us the brilliant “Juno” 11 years ago. Like Charlize, they could well repeat history at the 2019 Oscars.
“Overboard”
A re-make of the ’87 Goldie Hawn – Kurt Russell movie ...turned upside down. This time the roles are reversed. Anna Faris is hired to clean the luxury yacht of a wealthy Mexican who fires her without paying her. He falls overboard after partying too much and wakes up with amnesia - she convinces him he’s her hubby. Eva Longoria co-stars. I didn’t see. It’s getting just 30% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Son of Bigfoot”
An animated movie about a teenage outsider who sets out to uncover the mystery behind his long lost dad, who turns out to be Bigfoot. His dad has been in hiding all these years to protect himself and his family from a giant hair company that wants to use Bigfoot’s special DNA. It gets 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Cleanse”
This horror/comedy stars Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”) as a jobless, heartbroken down-and-outer who signs up for a spiritual retreat offering a cleanse that turns out to be a lot more than a cleanse. Anjelica Huston, Anna Friel and Oliver Platt co-star in this dark comedy, which gets 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.