Tammy, the new comedy co-written by and starring Melissa McCarthy, opens today. Sadly, the film is not getting great reviews — at the time of posting, it’s at 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. I may be in the minority on this one, but I liked the movie and laughed my ass off. Make no mistake about it, it’s a formulaic comedy — it’s a studio film after all — but for me, it worked just as well as any dude comedy that’s out there.
So here are some reasons why you should see Tammy. (Please note: there will be a couple of spoilers.)
1- It’s a women-led movie in a summer of male leads.
Come on people. If you want to see more women, you gotta get out and support the women. That’s the bottom line. It’s only the third wide release this summer to star a woman or women after Maleficent and The Fault in Our Stars, and the only comedy.
2 — It’s funny and raunchy.
Melissa McCarthy is a hoot. She has no fear and just goes for it all the way. Some of the jokes fall a bit flat, but I appreciate that this woman is pushing the envelope for funny women everywhere.
3 — It gets down and dirty about class.
McCarthy’s character’s life is in the crapper. She has a crappy job, a crappy marriage, a crappy car. She’s like everywoman (and everyman) struggling to make ends meet and stuck in a vicious cycle that doesn’t let you escape. In other words, her character’s completely identifiable.
4 — It doesn’t star a skinny woman.
Hollywood is incredibly unforgiving about looks, and while Melissa McCarthy is beautiful, her character is not. She’s a mess in every way. There are a couple of harsh fat jokes (from her drunk grandma, played by Susan Sarandon), but aside from that, her weight is not one of her problems. That’s quite refreshing.
5 — Kathy Bates gets to blow shit up.
Bates plays a rich lesbian who owns a gorgeous house with her partner (Sandra Oh), and she is delightful as Grandma Pearl’s (Susan Sarandon) cousin who helps bail the women out of a couple of difficult spots.
6 — Melissa McCarthy bags a Duplass brother.
Mark Duplass plays McCarthy’s really uninteresting but pretty cute potential boyfriend. He might be a cool filmmaker, but he gets points from me for being the straight one to McCarthy’s funny lady.
