FILM REVIEW: TAMMY (15)

It’s 2 out of 5 for McCarthy fans… 1 out of 5 for anyone else.

In the hit comedy Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy’s supporting role saw the birth of a foul-mouthed, crude, and larger-than-life character. She has pretty much played the same person ever since – and it’s becoming a little less funny each time.

In this hit-and-miss comedy, Tammy (McCarthy) is having a bad day. She’s totalled her car, been fired from her lousy job, and caught her husband having a romantic evening with the neighbour.

Now seems the perfect time for her to escape on a journey of self-discovery, but she has no transport. Therefore, Tammy reluctantly joins her alcoholic grandma, Pearl (Susan Sarandon) on a road-trip. It may not be the kind of escape she wants, but it might just be what she needs.

Unfortunately the film never quite gets into gear. Tammy has some reasonably funny moments, but not for a second did I feel anything for the movie’s characters or story. It lacks the smartness of Bridesmaids and the onscreen chemistry we saw between McCarthy and Bullock in The Heat.

What works best here is the casting. Ignoring the fact that Tammy’s grandmother is just 24 years older than McCarthy in real life, some great people feature in the film. Hollywood legends such as Dan Aykroyd, Mark Duplass, Gary Cole, and Kathy Bates all feature at some point or another. None have nearly as much screen-time as we’d like them to, but it’s good to see them nonetheless.

Overall, Tammy is watchable if you’re a fan of McCarthy, but considering the talent involved, there are a lot of missed opportunities here. It’s not the comedy it could have been.

See Tammy (and much more) at the Showcase Cinema now. Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date showtimes. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas UK’.

Mikey Clarke

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Mark Duplass, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney & Toni Collette

Running Time: 1hr 36mins

Director: Ben Falcone

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