Tallulah

Name: Tallulah
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: July 29, 2016
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 63

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: July 29, 2016 | Not Rated

Summary: Desperate to be rid of her toddler, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to babysit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for.

Director: Sian Heder

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 111 min

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper

Jul 29, 2016

This is one of the most moving films of 2016. Every 20 minutes or so, it grabs you and puts a lump in your throat. Read full review

Geoff Berkshire

Jan 31, 2016

Page is simply superb in a complex role that perfectly plays to her gift for balancing deadpan comedy with surprisingly deep emotional reserves. Read full review

Neil Genzlinger

Jul 28, 2016

The story in Tallulah sometimes strains credulity, but it’s beautifully told and acted. Read full review

Tim Grierson

Jan 31, 2016

Helped enormously by deeply-felt performances from Ellen Page and Allison Janney, this film mostly overcomes its unevenness by finding rich pockets of emotion and insight. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Aug 5, 2016

The story is pure melodrama and more conventional than daring. But Tallulah makes a fine demonstration project to under-employed talent — in front of and behind the camera. Read full review

Leslie Felperin

Jan 31, 2016

There’s so much to root for here it’s painful to concede there’s some hideously on-the-nose, spell-out-the-motivation-in-capital-letters writing that lowers the tone. Read full review

Elise Nakhnikian

Jul 25, 2016

Relevant facts about each character are dutifully punched out, in earnest speeches or actions that are often wildly overdrawn. Read full review

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User Reviews

AkramSalem

Jul 17, 2020

Story is fresh, such a good movie! Great acting and Ellen Page was phenomenal.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

aline84

Jul 29, 2016

A heartfelt story about love, motherhood, and how not everyone is made to be a mother, but anyone who wants to, can be one. Great performances from Ellen Page and Allison Janney, a proven combo that works like magic.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Erich

Jan 27, 2019

I agree with the reviewer who loved the ending. That last scene (which I won’t describe, for fear of “spoiling” the movie) is a daring stroke of surrealism for a movie that is otherwise solidly realistic, but for some ineffable reason, it just felt so right -- a wonderful moment ofI agree with the reviewer who loved the ending. That last scene (which I won’t describe, for fear of “spoiling” the movie) is a daring stroke of surrealism for a movie that is otherwise solidly realistic, but for some ineffable reason, it just felt so right -- a wonderful moment of unexplainable transcendence that would not have worked had the director, Sian Heder, not evoked it with such tender mastery. It comes as an unexpected climax to the rest of the realism of the movie, flawlessly realized throughout by the principal actors, Ellen Page and Allison Janney. Usually I find Ellen Page annoyingly smug; but in this movie she uses that part of her persona to excellent effect, and also shows a side of her that betokens a true actress. Allison Janney I recall from the series "West Wing" and this movie proves to be a subtly sublime vehicle for her to demonstrate a great range of emotions and dimensions of humanity. The scene with the turtle -- which also I will not spoil by describing -- was a masterful juxtaposition of the ridiculously mundane and the searingly poignant. We detect the invisible hand of the director here, Sian Heder, wisely letting Janney unfold that moment as a painful flower of insight into the pathetic paradox of a woman who has made a book-writing career out of helping other women handle relationships & divorce, yet unable to apply the same self-help to help herself in her own pathetic life. This paradox is deepened in the relationship of Janney to the messed up young woman played by Page who flaunts her inability to help herself, indulging in a careless nihilism about life -- and yet as Janney helps her, the girl helps Janney, and they form a bond of finding their own strengths in each other. And at the heart of it all is the helpless baby whom Page has "adopted" -- a helpless infant girl that draws out the strength of all three helpless women (the real mother, an alcoholic loser, well played by Tammy Blanchard, along with Page and Janney). Four helpless females floundering, finding themselves somehow in the seemingly random events that intertwine them together.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Aug 29, 2016

Ellen Page stars as Tallulah who is entirely grating and hard to watch due to her impulsiveness, rebelliousness, and frequent poor decisions. For the first hour, Tallulah is really hard to stomach as you watch Tallulah makes abhorrent life decisions that have profound negative impacts onEllen Page stars as Tallulah who is entirely grating and hard to watch due to her impulsiveness, rebelliousness, and frequent poor decisions. For the first hour, Tallulah is really hard to stomach as you watch Tallulah makes abhorrent life decisions that have profound negative impacts on those around her. That said, after an hour, the film does find its stride pretty solidly. Though highly derivative, the film has a nice take on aging, beauty, and motherhood. For many, Tallulah will be truly profound. While I liked what it was trying to communicate, it felt like the film was pushing too hard and trying to force its thematic elements through to their conclusion (particularly through dream sequences and the ending). If the film had stuck in reality, it would have been better communicated, but as it stood, Tallulah was practically beating you over the head and asking, "DO YOU GET IT YET?". Overall, Tallulah is a nice little film with good performances from Ellen Page and Allison Janney that could have been better if it had been more subtle and less in your face.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Benkoko11

Feb 23, 2017

Tallulah happens when a director cares more about checking various PC boxes than having a compelling or realistic narrative. It's hard to like no matter how hard you try.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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