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Tully (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:41
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: A beautifully acted, quietly moving little film.
Theatrical Release:Nov 1, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: "The Truth About Tully" explores a legacy of love between a family of men, and the events of one summer that change their world forever. Through the eyes of Tully Coates Jr. (Anson Mount) - the... "The Truth About Tully" explores a legacy of love between a family of men, and the events of one summer that change their world forever. Through the eyes of Tully Coates Jr. (Anson Mount) - the local hearthrob and eldest son - a world is revealed where secrets are kept close beneath wide open skies as a distant father and his two sons struggle with a past that has come back to haunt them. The loss of their mother years ago has left the Coates boys adrift, each longing for a connection to a woman they never knew. A separation has grown between Tully and his reclusive father (Bob Burrus), who lives in isolation even as he works side by side with his sons. Determined not to meet the same lonely fate, Tully runs wild with the women in town though he is careful to keep them all at a safe distance. Tully's shy younger brother Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) is just the opposite, possessing an emotional maturity to comprehend things that Tully has yet to see or feel. In his quiet way, Earl is in Tully's shadow – but Earl knows something that Tully may not yet be able to handle. The one thing that Tully and Earl do have in common is an appreciation for Earl's straight-talking best friend Ella (Julianne Nicholson), a young woman smart enough to refuse overtures from a womanizer like Tully and strong enough to become his friend. As Earl watches warily, Tully becomes closer to Ella than anyone expected – but when devastating news pushes Tully into her arms, he runs away before he can begin to feel what might be true love. Tully's discovery of a long buried secret that now threatens his family and their farm brings him to confront his father about the ghosts of a past that have pushed them apart. When he discovers that his father's decisions were made out of love for his family, Tully begins to appreciate his father's strength. With the air cleared, Tully's own true feelings emerge and he comes to learn the delicate art of caring. The film is based on the award-winning story by Tom McNeal , with the screenplay adaptation by Matt Drake and Hilary Birmingham. "The Truth About Tully" is Birmingham's feature directing debut and is produced by Annie Sundberg. -- © TellTale Films [More]
Starring: Anson Mount, Julianne Nicholson, Glenn Fitzgerald, Catherine Kellner
Starring: Anson Mount, Julianne Nicholson, Glenn Fitzgerald, Catherine Kellner, Bob Burrus
Director: Hilary Birmingham
Director: Hilary Birmingham
Screenwriter: Matt Drake, Hilary Birmingham
Producer: Hilary Birmingham, Anne Sundberg
Studio: Small Planet
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Reviews for Tully
There's certainly nothing objectionable about Tully, but there's nothing remarkable either. It resides in that cinematic middle ground of not-bad, not-great, just okay.
It all starts to smack of a Hallmark Hall of Fame, with a few four letter words thrown in that are generally not heard on television.
A very pretty after-school special. It's an effort to watch this movie, but it eventually pays off and is effective if you stick with it.
The whole movie consists of talk. The characters talk about what used to happen, what's going to happen, what happened while you were looking the other way and listening to people talk.
A simple, sometimes maddeningly slow film that has just enough charm and good acting to make it interesting, but is ultimately pulled under by the pacing and lack of creativity within.
The film is weighed down by supporting characters who are either too goodly, wise and knowing or downright comically evil.
It's an earnest debut full of heartfelt performances, but is ultimately let down by a story that is all too predictable.
The story unfolds very gradually, but it's refreshing to see a film nurtured with such affection and a batch of performances that remain appropriately understated.
The acting is good and airy, like the setting, in this much more than promising first film.
Tully is in many ways the perfect festival film: a calm, self-assured portrait of small town regret, love, duty and friendship that appeals to the storytelling instincts of a slightly more literate filmgoing audience.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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