Melissa McCarthy breaks down her stardom like this. Either you enjoy her or you can't stand her. There is likely no in between and part of that reason is because she really is a one trick pony. Whether she's playing Molly on her sitcom or her various characters in her hit films, they are all almost identical with very small differences. So this is another McCarthy vehicle where she plays a rough around the edges, smart talking, sarcastic and "butchy" misunderstood person. She also deserves kudos because she always makes you feel incredible empathy for her characters. Tammy is loud and obnoxious and a total mess and her life is falling apart and then by the end of the film you root for her and adore her and the completely zany cast of supporting characters completely win you over. There is nothing particularly amazing or different about Tammy other than it is perhaps a lot darker than most of her other comedies. This is more of the style of Jason Bateman or Bill Murray or something like that. Still there are definitive laugh out loud moments and plenty of the physical comedy that I am a sucker for and Melissa McCarthy does well even though I don't like that her weight is always a punch line...its what she knows and does best.
I think I've already spoken to her performance in the film. It is very good and the one thing with Tammy is that she gets some depth and emotion in there at various points and it works. She definitely has a unique knack and chemistry on screen. The supporting cast is terrific including very brief cameos from Dan Akroyd, Allison Janey, Kathy Bates and Sandra Oh. The meat and potatoes of the film though is McCarthy and Susan Sarandon who gives a subtle but really terrific performance as Grandma. She's an alcoholic, desperately trying to grab onto life and their scenes together are really great. Sarandon is terrific and its been awhile since I've seen her in anything so I was glad to see her in this. Also really great comedic cameos from Toni Collette (also brief but effective), Ben Falcone (he's always a great cameo in McCarthy films--her real life husband), Nat Faxon and a sort of bizarrely small performance by Mark Duplass who is actually good in the role as McCarthy's eventual love interest but its an incredible small part for a romantic "lead." But romance isn't the focus of the story I suppose.
I know I said that Tammy doesn't really bring anything new to the table and I stand by that but at the same time it is far cry from Identity Thief or Bridesmaids. Its a lot darker content that a silly comedy. There is some deep introspective on life and mistakes and redemption. But if you don't look too deeply its good for a laugh. The film is actually directed by McCarthy's husband whom I mentioned, Ben Falcone. He absolutely has some talent behind the lens. Especially considering this is his directorial debut. This, much like your opinion of McCarthy, boils down to either you'll really enjoy it or you'll hate it. I think most fans of a good comedy will appreciate a strong story and good characters. My biggest complaint was that I wanted to see far more development from supporting cast members but that's because there were a lot of significant comedians in the film that got very little screen time and we know how terrific they can be. I still very much enjoyed the film. 8/10
I think I've already spoken to her performance in the film. It is very good and the one thing with Tammy is that she gets some depth and emotion in there at various points and it works. She definitely has a unique knack and chemistry on screen. The supporting cast is terrific including very brief cameos from Dan Akroyd, Allison Janey, Kathy Bates and Sandra Oh. The meat and potatoes of the film though is McCarthy and Susan Sarandon who gives a subtle but really terrific performance as Grandma. She's an alcoholic, desperately trying to grab onto life and their scenes together are really great. Sarandon is terrific and its been awhile since I've seen her in anything so I was glad to see her in this. Also really great comedic cameos from Toni Collette (also brief but effective), Ben Falcone (he's always a great cameo in McCarthy films--her real life husband), Nat Faxon and a sort of bizarrely small performance by Mark Duplass who is actually good in the role as McCarthy's eventual love interest but its an incredible small part for a romantic "lead." But romance isn't the focus of the story I suppose.
I know I said that Tammy doesn't really bring anything new to the table and I stand by that but at the same time it is far cry from Identity Thief or Bridesmaids. Its a lot darker content that a silly comedy. There is some deep introspective on life and mistakes and redemption. But if you don't look too deeply its good for a laugh. The film is actually directed by McCarthy's husband whom I mentioned, Ben Falcone. He absolutely has some talent behind the lens. Especially considering this is his directorial debut. This, much like your opinion of McCarthy, boils down to either you'll really enjoy it or you'll hate it. I think most fans of a good comedy will appreciate a strong story and good characters. My biggest complaint was that I wanted to see far more development from supporting cast members but that's because there were a lot of significant comedians in the film that got very little screen time and we know how terrific they can be. I still very much enjoyed the film. 8/10