Tully (2000)

81% of critics liked it
(52 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(1,130 ratings)

Taking home both the audience prize for Best Director as well as the critics' prize for Best Film, writer-director Hilary Birmingham was the toast of the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival with this slice-of-life drama about a pair of motherless young men and their relationships with women. Tully… More Taking home both the audience prize for Best Director as well as the critics' prize for Best Film, writer-director Hilary Birmingham was the toast of the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival with this slice-of-life drama about a pair of motherless young men and their relationships with women. Tully Jr. (Anson Mount) and Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) live on their father's Nebraska ranch, proud and independent to a fault. While the shy, reclusive Earl spends his free time watching movies, the cockier Tully works his way through a succession of short-term affairs and an off-again, on-again relationship with April (Catherine Kellner), a stripper in town. When their childhood friend Ella (Julianne Nicholson) returns to town to start a veterinary practice, however, Tully falls for her -- although the townsfolk have their doubts that he could ever commit to one woman. Birmingham based her film on a short story by author Tom McNeal; before Tully, the director cut her teeth producing PBS documentaries. Tully would go on to show at festivals in Toronto, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Hilary Birmingham
Written By: Matt Drake, Hilary Birmingham
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 1, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jun 17, 2003
Studio: Small Planet

Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Flawed but promising.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Watching Tully reminded me of a time when calling a movie 'little' was a compliment, a way of saying a director had found ways to locate his movie in a world that seemed entirely real.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
At turns heartbreaking and heart-stirring.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
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.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
It brims with characters, incidents and dialogue that are alternately sharp and lyrical, and sometimes both at the same time.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Modestly budgeted but richly visual film.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
The movie was critically lauded when it was released theatrically last fall, more than two years after its completion, but audiences never quite seemed to catch on.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Tully is worth a look for its true-to-life characters, its sensitive acting, its unadorned view of rural life and the subtle direction of first-timer Hilary Birmingham.
Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Best to just pick up a blade of grass and chew on it while absorbing the scenic imagery and natural acting of a strong cast.
Mary Brennan, Seattle Times
The movie resonates with a rare and genuine sweetness.
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The revelations... are not in the plot but in the rhythm of life and the pace of days (brought to life perfectly in the crisp, bright, sunlit photography)...
Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A heartfelt, understated and occasionally heavy-handed slice of heartland.
Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly
It's a promising debut made even better by an impressive bunch of actors.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Mark A

A quiet film, about a quiet man and his two sons, living on a farm in Nebraska. Tully (Anson Mount), is the elder son, and a twenty-something Lothario who believes himself irresistible to women. His younger brother, Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald), works hard and plays clean. A straight-arrow… More
A quiet film, about a quiet man and his two sons, living on a farm in Nebraska. Tully (Anson Mount), is the elder son, and a twenty-something Lothario who believes himself irresistible to women. His younger brother, Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald), works hard and plays clean. A straight-arrow neighboring girl, Ella (Julianne Nicholson), is friends with Earl and becomes entangled with Tully. The father, also named Tully (Bob Burrus) just goes about his business, quietly and efficiently, without humor, until he gets notice that his farm is being foreclosed. It is in this scenario, that lies that have been told for years and secrets left unspoken begin to come to light. The scenery evokes the prairie life, and the characters are people it becomes easy to sympathize with. The pleasures of hard work and simple recreations enhance the filmâ(TM)s easy pace. Not a lot happens, but what does happen is significant. This was a good story about good people making hard choices.

Cast

Anson Mount
as Tully Coates
Julianne Nicholson
as Ella Smalley
Glenn Fitzgerald
as Earl Coates

Catherine Kellner
as April Reece
John Diehl
as Mal "Mac" MacAvoy
Natalie Canerday
as Claire

Tully (2000)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Mark A

Cast

Trailers & Clips