Tammy

Review by: John Delia

Totally askew the new comedy with and written by Melissa McCarthy and directed and cowritten by her husband Ben Falcone plays out more like a YouTube video than a major motion picture. Tammy puts together a number of McCarthy sight gags that fall flat, very unlike The Heat in which she shines. Maybe her shtick requires some tweaking or she needs to stay away from writing her own script, as both endeavors failed here. Lacing the film with a bevy of familiar faces is the first clue that this movie’s on a dubious path with no light at the end of the tunnel. Using her past success to fuel interest in Tammy may get her a haul at the box-office, but her fans will suffer in the end. It’s a NO for me.

The film focuses on an unlucky Tammy (McCarthy) who has just lost her job at fast food chain Topper Jacks because she’s late again. Downhearted and now with a nearly destroyed car caused by hitting a deer on the way to work, she goes home for some sympathy from her husband Greg (Nat Faxon). As she walks through the front door of their home, Greg is about to sit down with their neighbor Missi (Toni Collette) to a dinner he cooked for her. Not that stupid, she realizes they’re having an affair and goes to her mother Ida’s (Allison Janney) house to cry on her shoulder.

Not a huge supporter of her daughter’s constant misfortune, Ida refuses to let Tammy borrow her car to run away from the town that has brought her nothing but grief. Popping up from the back bedroom, grandma Pearl (Susan Sarandon) offers her car in exchange for taking her along. Tammy’s taken by surprise, but doesn’t want to be strapped down with her alcoholic grandmother so at she refuses. When Pearl sweetens the pot with a lot of cash, Tammy reluctantly invites her on a road trip.

The two start out with intentions of visiting Niagara Falls, but that’s just the beginning of this wacky escape from reality. Director Ben Falcone uses every conceivable comedic formula to get a grip on his film, yet after the first act concludes, the movie starts to drag. Inserting a couple of incredibly brainless schemes, like crashing a jet ski and robbing a Topper Jacks with a bag over Tammy’s head, it’s evident that the silliness will continue throughout. Some of it does create a few guffaws, but when it gets serious and scary involving Pearl’s alcoholism getting the best of her, the film loses its power to entertain.

The producers lace the film with a lot of familiar actors, most of which are on screen a short period of time. Kathy Bates, who plays Pearl’s cousin Lenore, doesn’t appear until the third act and then it’s more about her than the two leads. Making a statement for gay marriage, she and her life partner Susanne (Sandra Oh) throw a huge lesbian 4th of July party celebrating her cousin’s visit and Tammy’s new found freedom.

The list of cameos is large and includes Gary Cole and Mark Duplass (he looks like a child lost in a K-Mart) as father/son good ole country boys who pick up Pearl and Tammy at a bar. Dan Aykroyd shows up for a quick scene as Tammy’s father and Ben Falcone puts on a show as Tammy’s boss who has to fire her. Both Nat Faxon and Toni Collette have a quick on screen scene as Tammy’s cheating husband and the slut while Allison Janney serves as Tammy’s “walk-on” mother.

In the middle of all the dreg is a very funny scene with Sarah Baker (The Campaign) as Becky the cashier at the Topper Jacks. Totally taken by surprise, but dumb enough to turn over all the money, the robbery scene gets hysterical. Responding to Tammy’s orders, the two strike up a friend to friend conversation that finds them giving hope that they’ll soon get together for a relaxing evening in a hot tub.

Tammy has been rated R by the MPAA for language including sexual references. If you’ve seen the trailer, it’s the best of the comedy. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.

FINAL ANALYSIS: This madcap comedy gets unwieldy and loses its edge. (D)