Tammy, freshly fired from a fast food place, returns home to find her husband flirting with the neighbor. Taking its cliques and slaps, she went to stay with his parents and embarks on a journey to Niagara falls with her alcoholic mother. Tammy then finds babysitter despite her…”
Go, I see you already come. “Still a comedy slapstick with Melissa McCarthy !” are you going to tell me. And in all honesty, I’m going to answer “Yes… But no !” Because if TAMMY is a comedy where one swears a lot, smokes a lot, drinks a lot, we hit a lot, it is actually quite far, very far even, the film’s trashy and disgusting, which one might expect. Explanations.
Beyond its story, TAMMY is a family movie. This is noticeable at the level of its realization. Behind the camera, Ben Falcone. If this name means nothing to you, it is normal because the one who is primarily an actor (All About Albert, The Flingueuses) sign with TAMMY his first feature film. A feature-length film in which he plays. Keith, the horrible manager of Tammy, this is it. Family also because Ben Falcone co-wrote the screenplay with his wife, the amazing Melissa McCarthy. First film role, she is in all good comedies of the past 5 years : Plan B, Baby manual, My best friends, 40 years : a user’s guide, Scam the card and The Flingueuses. Add to this the fact that the four main actresses (Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Toni Collette, Allison Janney) seem to be straight out the same mould, of the same lineage, of the same school and that they are a more-value more than considerable at the time of the sale of the film.
And the movie in all of this ? Well TAMMY is a very good comedy. May not be the comedy of the month or the year, but a small film (20M$ budget for 1h36) that get devoured in a single bite, one can look at without ever flinching or getting impatient and that makes you laugh full-throated. If one will the few flaws of the mise-en-scene (poor choice of framing, bad investments of the actors, the scenery, sometimes dull) on account of the lack of experience of its director, is still on the road. Like for the scenario. The story of TAMMY is adequate, not sensational, but good enough to hold until the end, that one does not get bored during the passages of transition, and that one is fully entertained. And of course, this is linked to the countless gags, absurd and wacky, but never outrageously trashy, the dialogue well-crafted, and other valves more than well felt.
When the distribution, are not going there by four paths, it is simply awesome ! As always, Melissa McCarthy ensures the show, gives of his person and will (we) refuses nothing. But with surprise, we find scenes more dramatic is that it can ens out as the top hand. One thing that we had managed to forget after the cancellation of her series Gilmore Girls. The other women of the cast are also incredible. Starting with Susan Sarandon, who after Wall Street : money never sleeps, Cloud Atlas , and Ping Long Summer, shows us once again the full extent of her comic talent. Ditto for Toni Colette (Little Miss Sunshine, In her shoes) and Allison Janney (Masters of Sex, colour, feelings) that come to bring a little sweetness and pragmatism to a movie sometimes too illuminated. Also note the presence of Kathy Bates (American Horror Story) and Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy), adorable in a lesbian couple.
”Enjoy anywhere, anytime, with anyone !”
In the rest, we will be on the photo where no effort has been made to focus on the original tape. If TAMMY oozes out the country of all its pores, the whole is extraordinarily coherent, close the tale and modernized by some of the artists best : Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Capital Cities, Kool & The Gang. Enough to make you tap your foot in the cinema room, swing your head and simply make you spend a moment fun and enjoyable. Because above and beyond its classification as a comedy, TAMMY talks about serious things : the fear of dying, the dedication, the quest of the self or the gender at a certain age. In short, themes that launched like that would be a great drama, but which are here within the reach of all. No need to have 70 years to understand that to die alone and it sucks. Not need to have been married to know what it is to have to rebuild a relationship. Not need to have sold hamburgers to understand the lack of consideration in some areas.
If TAMMY comes out of it honorably, it must be recognised that it is above all thanks to his first role, the amazing Melissa McCarthy. All of the scenes, she embarks on a road trip where we will see little of the road. With true moments of drama and suspense, TAMMY takes place in the film’s tragi-comic. If the focus is put first on the excess, morality does not insist necessarily on the moderation and that is a good point. With its clever mix of scenes comical and supporting roles hilarious, TAMMY serves as the best combo drama + romantic comedy + buddy movie. To watch anywhere, anytime, with anyone !
• Achievement : Ben Falcone
• Screenplay : Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
• Main actors : Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Allison Janney, Sandra Oh, Kathy Bates, Gary Cole, Mark L. Young, Mark Duplass
• Country of origin : United States
• Output : coming SOON
• Duration : 1h3-mn
• Distributor : Warner Bros. France
• Synopsis : Tammy, freshly fired from a fast food place, returns home to find her husband flirting with the neighbor. Taking its cliques and slaps, she went to stay with his parents and embarks on a journey to Niagara falls with her alcoholic mother. Tammy then finds babysitter despite her…