Heart exists in all genres – from horror, to drama, to romance. Comedy is the hardest to recognize, especially in a sea of raunchy films that focus more on gags and pratfalls than story. The critical lashing Melissa McCarthy’s latest film, “Tammy” has gotten seems to support this. It’s funny, not raunchy, and has sympathy for its characters when others have only cynicism. It makes you feel good to watch it, and features a richer performance (and character) from McCarthy, and surprising acting from Susan Sarandon. While not perfect, it’s better than your average comedy, though it has yet to get this credit.
Tammy is McCarthy at her finest, playing a loveable loser audiences will doubtless be pulling for. Tammy runs into a comedy of errors in the film’s beginning, ranging from ruining her car in an accident, to being fired from her job, to finding out her husband, Greg (“The Way Way Back’s” Nat Faxon) is having an affair. She doesn’t catch him in bed with another woman, but having a romantic lunch by candlelight; the film’s attempts at garnering sympathy for Greg makes Tammy that much more relatable. That she embarks on a road trip with her grandmother (an excellent Susan Sarandon) to escape her small town troubles is only part of the charm of this film. The two bond in interesting ways, a credit to McCarthy and Sarandon, but also to the effective script penned by McCarthy and Director Ben Falcone.
What works about “Tammy” is that it combines a host of well-known actors and assembles them in funny and heartfelt ways. Kathy Bates appears as a lesbian millionaire, Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as her girlfriend, “Office Space’s” Gary Cole as a midwest wannabe bachelor, and Dan Aykroyd as Tammy’s distant father. The film will no doubt be compared to Seth Rogen’s “Guilt Trip,” though that film has little in common with “Tammy.” During a series of events that includes attempting to resuscitate a deer and trying to save her grandmother from herself, “Tammy” excels at bringing laughs when it needs to and drama when it must.
The McCarthy/Sarandon match-up works wonderfully throughout the film, and the biggest success is the fact that comedy is hardly Sarandon’s forte. She doesn’t play a loveable grandma everyone wants to hug, but a bitter, often-mean alcoholic who is seldom sober after 11 AM. That somehow we like this character, even when she boarders on unlikeable, is a testament to Sarandon’s acting and a sign that she is nowhere close to retirement. Sarandon couldn’t have played “Tammy’s” Pearl earlier in her career; that in itself is the treasure McCarthy has uncovered with this film.
As Tammy, McCarthy herself does a good job managing to be funny throughout, while also sad and a bit pathetic. While similar to “Identity Thief,” “Tammy” separates itself by providing more depth and a less empty shell for McCarthy to fill. One of the most humorous scenes of the film comes when Tammy pulls an over-the-top stunt to get money her grandmother desperately needs, as is another where she and Pearl attempt to pick up guys at a bar. However, the film balances this with exposition and emotion. A heart-to-heart Tammy has with Pearl’s cousin Lenore (Bates), has a impact often saved for better films. “Tammy” knows when to reel back and when to push forward; in McCarthy’s hands, the balance seems effortless.
The film is not without fault, as some unnecessary drama finds its way to the narrative, and it would be nice to have McCarty star in a film that just once doesn’t feature her in and out of legal trouble throughout. There is also the problem of a script that runs just a little too long at 96 mins, and some ‘will they won’t they’ drama between key characters that is dragged on a bit too long. However, these are vindicated by development between even minor characters, such as a love interest for Tammy (Mark Duplass, “The Mindy Project”), and even Tammy’s critical mother (Allison Janney) that are fleshed out more than typical slapstick comedies. The result creates a solid interior, where weaker scriptwriting would have left only an empty shell.
At the end of the day, “Tammy” is another comedic entry following in the wake of summer entires such as “Neighbors” and “Think Like a Man 2,” yet offers more than just laughs, but a heart to match. “Tammy” doesn’t bring the drama of, say, “12 Years a Slave,” but you feel better after watching it than before you started, and that’s an achievement. Don’t let critics lead you astray. “Tammy” is a fun time at the movies. It’s not perfect but it doesn’t need to be. You go to a comedy to have fun. “Tammy” provides that.
– by Mark Ziobro
