Tammy

-
Tammy
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney
Directed by Ben Falcone

Synopsis:
Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is having a terrible day.  She hit a deer and her car broke down, she just got fired from a fast food restaurant, and she discovered her husband was cheating on her.

She wants to leave but without a car and money she's stranded, until her alcoholic grandmother Pearl (Susan Sarandon) agrees to take her car, if she goes with her.  So the two women embark on a journey of self-discovery for the both of them, and through several hilarious twists and turns they learn that, even though their lives aren't what they wanted, they have the ability to turn it for the good.

Review:
Melissa McCarthy has been on a role lately, with huge hits such as "Identity Thief" and "The Heat."  It's because of this that she and her husband Ben Falcone were able to bring "Tammy" to life, a film that began in the mind of her husband.  The two worked on the script and McCarthy took a pay cut in order to produce the film.

The result is a rare thing in Hollywood - a truly original idea that wasn't a sequel, didn't come from a book and wasn't inspired by actual events.  It was a true blue original.  And while it was funny, it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny.  McCarthy is good at playing the role of the underdog female - the one who doesn't necessarily get the good looking guy and who is often misunderstood due to her weight.  This is her strength, but it's also becoming a pigeon-holed trap that she's falling into, making her into a one-note character.  With "Tammy," you already knew her struggles, and you knew how she would react to them since you've seen her in previous films.  It's pretty much the same outcome here.

That's not saying the movie isn't hilarious, as even though McCarthy is become one-note, she plays it well.  It's just becoming monotonous and predictable, and I'm hoping that she'll branch out into different territory in the future.

Summary:
While not a gut-busting comedy, "Tammy" still has several humorous moments, even if the ending is predictable an typical of a Melissa McCarthy comedy.

My Rating: A-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a...
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small ...
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a...
Read more