Review of Tammy (2014) by Maksim B — 20 Jan 2015

Tammy is yet another Melissa McCarthy vehicle which is supposed to be a wild comedy, but turns out to be nothing but an annoying and formulaic slapstick comedy. With few laughs spread among multiple other attempts for successful gags, uneven story-telling and one-dimensional performances, this is a second promising title (after Identity Thief) starring McCarthy that completely disappoints.

Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is a permanent loser who is always blaming everyone else but herself for her failures. When fired from her miserable fast-food job, she embarks on a road-trip with her diabetic grandmother (Susan Sarandon) which is supposed to be a fun ride, but turns into a sort of pathetic coming-of-age story for her. Way too often, one would feel as if he/she has seen this or laughed at that. With lacking any originality, the fact that director Ben Falcone's story lacks smoothness turns Tammy into almost a painful to see experience. The balance between real-life experience, real-life related gags and totally absurd and nonsensical events is completely out of control and thus the only person who is capable of holding the movie together is Melissa McCarthy.

Unfortunately, despite her immense talent, the script does not allow her to show anything but Tammy's one dimensional character. The romantic affair between her and Bobby (Mark Duplass) is one of the fresh elements in Falcone's delivery together with the presence of Susan Sarandon. Speaking of Sarandon, she is probably Tammy's biggest asset. Quirky and wild, Sarandon is the naughty, rude granny who is ready to go off all limits for the sake of enjoying.

Just like in previous Melissa McCarthy deliveries, Tammy is a movie that had generated high expectations (due to McCarthy's recognized talent) , but failed to match them. There is certainly a probability that you might enjoy it, if you lower your expectation to the minimum, but this still does not justify losing 96 minutes of your life. Suitable for watching if you are travelling to somewhere (in a bus, or on a plane) and you have no other option for killing the time until you reach your destination.