We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Tully

After a short string of disappointments, director Jason Reitman returns to the limelight with his exploration of motherhood in Tully, starring Charlize Theron as an overworked mother who is given a new lease on life when a clear-headed nanny arrives to alleviate her burdens.

At 88% Fresh from Rotten Tomatoes (7.8/10 rating) and 76 at MetaCritic, it’s obvious that Reitman has returned to form. When the son of legendary comedy director Ivan Reitman brought his first feature to the screen, Thank You for Smoking, his vicious takedown of the tobacco industry showed great promise. He followed that up with the Oscar-nominated Juno, which he then topped with Oscar-nominated Up in the Air. While Young Adult was well received, that fourth feature didn’t go anywhere in terms of Oscar consideration. Then came the mediocre Labor Day and finally the reviled Men, Women & Children.

Out of six films, he had two major successes and two minor ones. Young Adult didn’t come too close to an Oscar nomination, though star Theron was at the back of the pack that year and writer Diablo Cody in her second outing with Reitman was nominated for the Writers Guild of America. Thank You for Smoking was also in the hunt for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination, having managed a nomination from the Writers Guild of America that year.

On the Oscar front, Juno received four Oscar nominations including one for Reitman as director, one for Best Picture, one for Best Actress (Ellen Page), and the fourth was also the film’s sole win for Cody in her first teaming with Reitman. Up in the Air pulled in six more nominations with Reitman again up for Directing and Picture along with a co-nomination for Adapted Screenplay along with three acting nominations for George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick. The film went home empty-handed.

So, could the third team-up with Cody result in Oscar nominations. The reviews aren’t as superlative as to think it can last through the end of the year, but Cody could be on the shortlist for an Oscar nomination for writing and Theron, depending on her competition, could be in the hunt for Best Actress. Of course, if the film manages to stick around until the end of the year and the later releases aren’t up to snuff, it could re-emerge. However, this is another sign that Reitman is back even if Oscar doesn’t bite.