10 Smart Movies With Incredibly Dumb Twists

3. Tully Is Imaginary - Tully

The Life Of David Gale Kevin Spacey
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Jason Reitman's drama Tully is, for most of its runtime, a deeply compassionate and emotionally intelligent tribute to motherhood, with Charlize Theron delivering a magnificent performance as put-upon mother Marlo.

Mackenzie Davis is also terrific as her peppy young nanny Tully, though Reitman sadly can't resist the urge to upend this achingly human drama with a needlessly daft final twist.

In the end, Marlo and Tully head off for an impromptu night on the town, which ends with Marlo crashing her car into a river.

Marlo wakes up at the hospital and learns that - gasp! - Tully was simply a figment of her sleep-deprived imagination, a compartmentalised fabrication to help her deal with her hectic life.

Though the film serves as a memorable examination of postpartum depression, making a shocking rug-pull out of Marlo's ailing mental health feels cheap if not outright manipulative.

As a character study and a performance piece, Tully was good enough that it didn't need to resort to goofy last-minute parlour tricks.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.