Review of Tammy (2014) by Stephen B — 11 Aug 2014

Perhaps Tammy is a film that can only really be liked by Melissa McCarthy fans as I would not consider myself to be one even though I think she has been decent in a few of her roles. The film Tammy was written by McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone (who also directed this and co-starred with McCarthy in Bridesmaids as the randy air marshal) so it's McCarthy through-and-through.

She stars as down-on-her-luck schmuck Tammy who wrecks her car, gets fired from her fast food job and discovers her husband with another woman in the film's first 15 minutes. Tammy blows up and pouts like a child, runs off to her mother and starts a fight and threatens to leave town because she is unhappy.

Her hard-drinking, equally awful grandmother (Susan Sarandon) sees this as an opportunity to escape her humdrum existence and so encourages Tammy to drive her cross country (Niagara Falls, actually) just because.

The film is a road trip comedy full of McCarthy's (now) trademark crass behavior and mannerisms (Sarandon gladly tries to out-do her a time or two too) and this style of comedy just isn't for me as the character is grating which makes the movie irritating.

There are a few funny moments ("Muscle shirts are ...") but most of it is either too over-the-top or despicably gross and rude. McCarthy thinks it is funny to laugh at a loser ... I'm just not with her here.