½
USA 2014
Starts July 3, 2014
Directed by: Ben Falcone
Writing credits: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Duplass
Length: 96 minutes
This is not Tammy’s (McCarthy) day: car accident begets getting fired—she does not go quietly—begets walking in on a tryst begets running away from home. Just one catch: the only person who has both cash and car is granny (Sarandon). Desperate to leave, a truce of sorts is formed. Destination: Niagara Falls, New York. Detour: Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri. Escapades: barbeque, hot looking gentlemen (Gary Cole, Duplass), a ski boat, and a jail stint. Finally, they make it to cousin Lenore (Bates) and Susanne (Sandra Oh) just in time for their 4th of July party: Pearl and Tammy’s personal fiasco. Afterward Lenore’s straight-talking kind ‘a sinks in for Tammy. Nevertheless, that stick-up at Toppy Jacks fast food place has to be accounted for.
Although the film has its moments, too many stereotypical snippets and crass scenes—even Sarandon’s performance cannot save—take fun out of the story that director Ben Falcone co-wrote with Melissa McCarthy. Regrettably, Bates onscreen time is too short, as is Janney, Aykroyd, and the Possum Creek Bluegrass Band. Production values are respectable. The candid advice Lenore gives Tammy is well worth McCarthy paying attention to. Its time she reinvent herself. Who knows, McCarthy then might even find a broader more mature audience base while making truly funny films. ()