TAMMY Review

There was and seemingly remains something off about Tammy. Not just in the case of the titular character that Melissa McCarthy portrays, but in the nature of the film itself. After following up her breakout in Bridesmaids with successful runs in Identity Thief and The Heat along with a slew of smaller, supporting roles in major comedies and two stints on Saturday Night Live it became clear McCarthy was the real deal. Still, the idea she next chose to venture out on a low-budget road trip comedy directed by her husband Ben Falcone and was a project they wrote with one another seemed completely understandable. There was an intimacy to it that no doubt was unheard of in the mainstream crowd-pleasers she was taking part in before. McCarthy had earned her name above the title and so she was going to use that power to make something closer to her heart. This could only signal that the comedy and the execution of the story would be something that was cultivated by the husband/wife team and would certainly come across with more of an edge and better developed characters than most comedies these days, right? One would think so, but for all this pent-up optimism I held for Tammy she let me down in the toughest of ways in that not only did she not make me laugh or love her, but that there is essentially no reason for this movie to exist. That probably sounds a little more harsh than it should because it isn't the characters or even the situations that don't come up with anything it's just that they don't come up with anything new. I didn't really know what to expect from the film upon walking into the theater, but when it instantly became clear that this would be a film of self-discovery and redemption for a life without risk and full of regret through the format of a road trip comedy I was done. We've literally seen McCarthy go through this same evolution in the same way in the aforementioned Identity Thief so what was it that drove her and Falcone to make this movie over anything else? Likely a question we'll never get a satisfactory answer to, but nonetheless the point of Tammy was to capitalize on McCarthy's brand of humor and persona and while she is all over the place here she does no favors for herself or anyone around her as any laughs that came from the audience were more out of sympathy than anything else.

Teaser Trailer for TAMMY

I saw the teaser trailer for Melissa McCarthy's latest comedy before my screening of About Last Night a few days ago and had no previous knowledge of its production or what the story was about. The good news is that this teaser doesn't give much education on what that story is, but it lets us know the tone of the film and that it is going to let McCarthy do the type of comedy she does best and in what might be the most freeing form yet as far as features go. I say that due to the fact that McCarthy's own husband, Ben Falcone, is making his directorial debut with this feature. The story is said to revolve around a road trip taken between Tammy (McCarthy) and her foul-mouthed, alcoholic grandmother as played by Susan Sarandon after Tammy is fired from her job at a fast food restaurant (giving new light to what is screened in the teaser) and learning that her husband has been having an affair. Judging by the reaction of the audience in the theater people will be more than willing to throw down they're money to see McCarthy play out her physical comedy schtick in a prime summer slot that seems poised to do nothing more than further solidify her status as a comedic force. I have to wonder when audiences will get tired of McCarthy essentially playing the same character over and over as it seems Tammy could have been taken from any one of the characters the actress pulled out for her recent hosting duties on Saturday Night Live, but at the same time I can't help but laugh at her and as long as this is closer to The Heat than Identity Thief I think I'll be more than willing to take it in and accept it for what it's meant to be. Tammy also stars Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Toni Collette, Nat Faxon, Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Bates and opens July 2nd.