Tammy Review
RYAN: This is the new comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, written by Melissa and her hubby Ben Falcone, who makes his directorial debut with this film. They already have another collaboration slated for 2016. I was super esssited to see them work together this way; what a perk of fame to do this, amassing the ensemble they did here… and the movie starts out like being shot out of a cannonball. Hilarious. It’s bookended with comedy but what you don’t know based on the marketing is that it’s almost all drama in the middle.
CHUCK: There is some drama that drags the energy down a bit in the middle. It’s a lot more dramedy than I expected it as well. And I just thought maybe it’s a comedy because that’s what audiences expect from her but then they went in and wrote the drama to show she’s capable of more depth than just the laughs. She’s genius at comedy but she obviously wants to show more.
RYAN: When I announced on social media I was attending the press screening, there were a lot of comments from people complaining she keeps playing the same character over and over; that she’s stale the way Ben Stiller in comedy, or Will Ferrel have become. And while I agree she does repeat a lot of the shtick we’ve seen her do in previous roles, I’m not yet tired of it. She’s just so darn likable and funny that I’m still into it. And then, with the drama bits, she does show more than we’ve seen from her before.
CHUCK: It’s giving the audience what they want and riding the gravy train as long as you can and actors get pigeonholed a lot and this is an attempt at putting her in the leading category, with romantic inclinations.
RYAN: That’s just the thing – there is no other woman or A-lister in Hollywood her size getting the roles she’s getting. She broke the barrier the way someone like, Roseanne did on TV in the 90s. Melissa is an Oscar nominee and there’s just no one else like her – accepted by Hollywood or audiences, with this kind of career right now. Movie studios wouldn’t normally green light a woman her size headlining a big summer movie.
CHUCK: You’re right she’s a really unique star. She’s certainly breaking ground. But her size shouldn’t be an issue.
RYAN: In culture but in Hollywood…
CHUCK: And I can only imagine because of who they are they were able to assemble such an amazing supporting cast – Dan Aykroyd, Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Kathy Bates and more.
RYAN: All so good – especially Kathy Bates. She has a brilliant moment in this movie.
CHUCK: She really grounded the movie. And Susan Sarandon in her gray wig. She was so funny. Love her.
RYAN: Allison Janney didn’t get to play funny which I really love from her but it was still cool having her in there.
CHUCK: It’s strange how it was mostly just funny at the beginning and at the end instead of sprinkled all the way through. I would have liked it more evenly. It’s not nearly as funny as The Heat last year.
RYAN: There’s a good rom com subplot and it’s perfectly timed for the 4th of July. There’s an Independence Day party in there that makes this an appropriate release this holiday weekend. It’s thoroughly enjoyable but not really what you’re expecting based on the trailer.
