Diablo Cody's screenplay seems to meander without much direction, which is the chief problem with this film. The twists she pulls here, which some may call nuance, feel very much like wrong turns, and they make the film lose its focus. The unraveling 3rd act brings some pretty lofty topics to the forefront briefly, which are swept under the rug and resolved like they're nothing at all, and it wraps everything up in a little too neat a bow. However, Tully is sprinkled with some touching moments that make the viewing easier to endure.

There's nothing impressive about Jason Reitman's direction, which consists mainly of handheld camera that, on occasion, will undercut the performances. Reitman is adequate at placing you in directly into the stresses of parenthood, which is one of the film's strong suits. However, very little of the film is visually stimulating and the cinematography here falls pretty flat. Outside of the performances, this causes engagement to rely heavily on the story, which begins to fizzle out to a flatline as it nears the end. There are a few effective montages that freshen up the story every now and again, but they're not enough to keep the ship from sinking. Luckily, the film is a lean 90 minutes and doesn't stay past its welcome.

While it might not have been intentional, Tully completes a trilogy that began with Juno and Young Adult. Each features a female protagonist at a different stage of her life, and each film explores how complicated it is to find happiness. Out of the three films, Tully may fall lowest on the list with regard to enjoyability, but still has some things to offer to the right crowd — mainly mothers. You can see the film when it makes its release on May 4th.

Rating: 1.5 frozen pizzas outta 5.