Tammy, the summer comedy starring, written by and produced by Melissa McCarthy, tells the story of a down-on-her-luck woman hitting the open road with her grandmother.

Titular character Tammy gets fired from her job and finds out her husband is cheating on her on the same day. This leads her to embark on a road trip with her boozy grandmother (Susan Sarandon). At first, the discordant twosome is meant to travel to Niagara Falls, but circumstances eventually divert their path. On the road, they stop by Tammy’s mother’s (Allison Janney) home and find a father-son duo to double date with.

'Tammy' Reviews

Tammy, written by McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone, who is making his directorial debut with the picture, was not the flick reviewers were hoping it would be. According to critics, Tammy never finds its tone – wavering between slapstick comedy and pratfalls and darker themes that never quite gel. Furthermore, McCarthy’s boorish shtick appears to have worn out its welcome.

“Tammy, the new movie starring, produced and cowritten by Melissa McCarthy, could be an artifact from some alternate universe: the creatures there resemble Earthlings but have an entirely different and debased idea of what’s funny. Arriving in time for the July 4th weekend, Tammy has the effect of a shoddily manufactured firecracker that weakly goes off in your hands — leaving no permanent damage, just a bitter memory.” – Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

“Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is a likable mess with a chronic inability to get it together. So is Tammy — a collaboration between McCarthy, who co-writes with her husband, Ben Falcone, who also directed. It’s a shame, because McCarthy is great at playing the female schlub, and that nascent genre is in need of a good poster girl. But this pastiche of sitcomy episodes never gels into a plot.” – Sara Stewart, New York Post

“Her skin an angry shade of sunburned red, her hair a frizzled mass of bleached split ends, she blusters and bullies her way through a misbegotten movie that starts badly and ends worse. Tammy, McCarthy’s character, is a graceless, obnoxious, thoroughly unpleasant young woman. […] Tammy is a bummer, not least because McCarthy’s fans know she’s better than this. We all miss Sookie, but we miss Melissa even more.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

“Ben Falcone, McCarthy's significant other, makes his directing debut with Tammy and shows he's blinded by love. […] Unfortunately all that love does not translate into an amusing or poignant movie — both of which the couple is going for in their screenplay collaboration. There are some laughs and, at least on screen, more than a few tears. But it doesn't come together with the kind of satisfying punch a comedy should deliver.” – Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Tammy, rated R, is currently in wide release.

GET THE FREE uINTERVIEW iPHONE APP FOR LATEST NEWS UPDATES