Indie Gems: Tallulah

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A collection of bad decisions

Tallulah (Ellen Page) lives in her van. She's a bit of a dreamer, she has to steal to survive as she has no job. After her boyfriend, Nico (Evan Jonigkeit) leaves her, she wanders around a New York City hotel stealing food from room service plates outside doors when she runs into Carolyn. (Tammy Blanchard) She mistakes her for staff and drags her inside her hotel room where she pays her to watch her one year old daughter Maddy so she can go out and party. She's very insecure, she asks Lu several times if she looks fat and/or pretty. When she returns home and passes out drunk later, Lu makes a hasty decision to take Maddy with her while dropping in on Nico's mother, Margo. (Allison Janney)

I've been wanting to watch this film since it was at Sundance, so I was very pleased that Netflix picked up the distribution rights. It can be a hard sell, Tallulah, Carolyn, and to an extent, Margo are all very unlikable characters. Especially Lu and Carolyn. It's almost downright cringeworthy watching them navigate the beginning of the film, but you strangely end up rooting for both of them to do the right thing later. Margo, I liked throughout even though she was very closed off. 

The acting is amazing. Ellen Page and Alison Janney always are. Blanchard surprised me as I'm not as familiar with her. She was outstanding as this completely hot mess. If Beasts of No Nation taught us anything, it's that the Oscars ignore Netflix movies, and that's a shame because the acting in this film is so good, they could easily be contenders.

Grade: A

Watched on: Netflix Instant

Memorable Quote: "You should've grabbed his cock." - Tallulah (Ellen Page)



Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 5, 2016 at 10:15 AM

    Ooh, your post was perfect timing! I've only just heard of this movie. I haven't seen a lot of Ellen Page but I think she's an absolute delight! I need to check now if this is on the UK Netflix :)
    - Allie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 6, 2016 at 7:00 AM

      I hope it is! It's really wonderful. And Ellen Page makes some excellent movies. :)

      Delete
  2. thevoid99August 5, 2016 at 8:18 PM

    Ellen Page is someone I will always watch in a film no matter how bad it is (unless it's from Michael Bay or some hack). I want to see this and Into the Forest with another of my favorites in Evan Rachel Wood. They're part of my special group of 7 great actresses known as THE BULLET CLUB.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 6, 2016 at 6:59 AM

      Yes! Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood are two of my favorite actresses. Probably the top two, actually. I'll see everything with them. I'm looking forward to Into The Forest too.

      Delete
  3. Candice FrederickAugust 5, 2016 at 9:47 PM

    I can definitely see this getting recognized at the independent spirit awards, a very decent film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 6, 2016 at 6:59 AM

      I agree. I think the Oscars are a long shot but I can hope some of the acting is recognized there too.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousAugust 7, 2016 at 6:56 AM

    I've really been looking forward to this one, so I'm glad to hear it's so good. I love films that introduce unlikable characters and make us empathize with and root for them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 7, 2016 at 9:20 AM

      This film does a great job of that too. I hope you like it!

      Delete
  5. DanAugust 9, 2016 at 8:11 AM

    There's a nice indie stream to Ellen Page's films; she's clearly seeking challenging roles that mean something to her than chasing the big pay cheque. This is one I haven't seen yet so it's a recommendation I'll add to my list

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 10, 2016 at 6:39 AM

      Definitely, and that's one of the reasons I love Page so much. She's always picking interesting projects.

      Delete
  6. BirgitAugust 9, 2016 at 5:35 PM

    I thought I commented here already..oh well...I would like to see this film because it sounds very interesting and real, plus I like the 2 lead actresses.

    ReplyDelete
  7. s.August 11, 2016 at 2:12 PM

    I heard of this and I'm inclined to watch it just for Janney, the reviews out of Sundance were kinda stellar

    ReplyDelete

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