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Since getting rave reviews for being loud and obnoxious in 2011’s Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has made a career out of playing the same character in one outrageous comedy after the next. For Tammy, she teams up with co-writer, director, and husband Ben Falcone to offer up more of the same old shtick.
McCarthy stars as the title character—a clueless, irresponsible fast food worker who comes home early after losing her job, only to discover that her husband (Nat Faxon) has been cheating on her with their neighbor (Toni Collette). Unable to face her latest problems, she turns to her mom (Allison Janney), hoping to borrow her car and get out of town once and for all. But when her mom refuses to give in to her demands, she’s forced to turn to her crazy old grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), a bored old woman who’s ready for a change of scenery. And, together, the two head out on a booze-fueled road trip to disaster.
If you’ve seen a Melissa McCarthy movie before, you know exactly what to expect from Tammy. Tammy is the same character that McCarthy has played over and over again: a sloppy, overweight woman with frizzy hair and no sense of style. She’s idiotic and arrogant and verbally abusive to everyone around her—but, of course, in the end, they’re eventually able to see her for the sweet and charming human being that she truly is.
This time around, however, McCarthy’s Tammy seems to have met her match in Sarandon’s Pearl, the thoughtless, alcoholic grandma who might just be even more obnoxious than her loud-mouthed granddaughter (who, incidentally, is only 24 years her junior). But perhaps that’s the point: by pairing McCarthy’s usual character with someone who’s equally—if not more—unlikable, it makes Tammy seem almost human. At times—though only briefly—McCarthy even lets go of her shtick, offering glimpses of the lovable character that she could be (if only loud and obnoxious characters weren’t so profitable).
For the most part, then, the film simply revolves around Tammy’s gawky, overconfident behavior and Pearl’s alcoholism. There’s not much of a story—just a bunch of perplexing scenes strung together. And any attempts at humorous writing fall horribly flat—to the point that it sometimes feels dry and almost depressing.
Of course, if you think that McCarthy’s typically loud, sloppy characters are absolutely hilarious, then you’ll be just as entertained by Tammy as you were by The Heat and Identity Thief. But if you need more than an over-the-top character or two to keep you entertained, it’s best to seek out something smarter (which really shouldn’t be all that difficult).
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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