EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesJulia Louis-Dreyfus' new A24 dark comedy is a poignant depiction of grief and motherhoodWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesJulia Louis-Dreyfus' new A24 dark comedy is a poignant depiction of grief and motherhoodWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: A24)
The line between life and death is blurred in Tuesday, a new dark comedy from A24, starring Veep, Seinfeld, and Marvel’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She plays Zora, a single mother living with her terminally ill daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), a good-humored but lonely teenager. Her friends have long since given up visiting her, she says, and her only company is Billie (Leah Harvey), a sincere but socially awkward young nurse.
Big Screen SpotlightShining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Big Screen Spotlight
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Acceptance and denial
(Image credit: A24)
When he visits Tuesday, however, Death has a panic attack before he can finish the job. Tuesday manages to calm him down and uses the opportunity to ask him to wait so she can talk to her mother before she dies. Zora doesn’t answer the phone and Tuesday somehow convinces Death to hold on until she gets home (whenever that may be). As they try to pass the time, Death and Tuesday begin to bond – she jokes with him and bathes centuries of dirt off his feathers in the bathroom sink.
On her return, Zora is less accepting – of death, as a concept, and Death in his corporeal form in her home. She’s not willing to let him finish his job without putting up a fight, and she takes matters into her own hands behind Tuesday’s back. Fighting back against Death gives her a new purpose, but it’s just a new kind of denial.
Life goes on
(Image credit: A24)
The film grapples with the complexities of parental grief and the ways in which we grieve a family member while they’re still alive – there is, of course, no right way to lose a child. Knowing something is coming doesn’t make it any easier and, while Tuesday has accepted her fate, unable to avoid the feeding tubes, oxygen tanks, and wheelchair of her daily life, her mother refuses to look reality in the eye. Death is neither a hero nor a villain in the movie. He’s simply doing his job, a necessity to keep the world turning – one that becomes particularly apparent once he becomes otherwise indisposed thanks to Zora’s best efforts.
Big Screen Spotlight(Image credit: A24)New horror movie with great Rotten Tomatoes score is a dark, dreamy exploration of identity and queer fandom
Big Screen Spotlight
(Image credit: A24)New horror movie with great Rotten Tomatoes score is a dark, dreamy exploration of identity and queer fandom
(Image credit: A24)
New horror movie with great Rotten Tomatoes score is a dark, dreamy exploration of identity and queer fandom
This is writer and director Daina O. Pusić’s first feature, and there are some debut growing pains – tonally, it’s a little odd at times and not all the humor hits its mark, but it’s bold and imaginative. Louis-Dreyfus holds the film together with a nuanced performance, veering between absurdity, comedy, and sincerity with ease.
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Tuesday arrives in UK cinemas on August 9. For more on what to watch, check out the rest of ourBig Screen Spotlightseries.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”