# Tammy - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31873[/img] 
*Title: Tammy* 

*Movie:* :1.5stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* :2.5stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*67




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31881[/img]*Summary*
Melissa McCarthy is something of an enigma to me. It seems the woman has true talent, but someone can’t seem to catch a break in her theatrical films. If you’ve seen her in “Mike and Molly”, or her appearances in “Gilmore Girls” or even “The Hangover III” you know that the woman has range, but for some reason she continually accepts roles that try to exploit her over the top crazy woman that she played in “Bridesmaids”. Now don’t get me wrong, her character in “Bridesmaids” was absolutely fantastic and it hit the spot for the lunatic comedy, but ever since then she has been stuck playing roles just like that, but instead of being a supportive character where a little lunacy is needed, she’s thrust into the spotlight and takes her rude, crude slob type of character way past the point of comfort. “Tammy” is really no different, other than the fact that the movie itself is less of a comedy, but more of a dark twisted drama that is supposedly supposed to be funny. Unfortunately it ends up being neither touching, nor humorous in any way shape or form. 

Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) is not a very likeable person. She’s a bit uncouth and crass, disliked by her boss, disliked by people around her and it seems disliked by her husband whom she finds with another woman after she comes home early because she was fired from her fast food job. Breaking down, Tammy decides to go off and ditch this crummy existence in a giant road trip. The only problem is that she doesn’t exactly have any money to go on a trip. This is solved by her grandmother, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), who offers to fund the trip as long as she gets to come along too (before she gets sent off to a retirement community). Thus starts an unlikely road trip with grandmother and granddaughter both trying their best to live life to the fullest in what seems like a cruel world. 

Hijinks ensue, things get broken and soon enough Pear and Tammy are at each other’s throats. While Tammy is a bit of a brash and crass turkey, Pearl is a hot mess, getting drunk daily and making life miserable for all of those around her, including Tammy. Now Tammy is less on a road trip, and more of a caretaker for her crazed grandmother which leads them into another burning pile of dog poo in the form of getting picked up for drunk and disorderly conduct. While Tammy can get out after a night in the tank, Pearl was caught with possession of illegal narcotics for her pain and needs bail money. Desperate to free her grandmother from jail, Tammy ends up robbing a fast food joint in an effort to raise the necessary funds. This sets the duo off on a chase as they try and outwit the cops, and keep away from each other’s throats for the duration of the trip. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31889[/img]
I’m honestly puzzled on why Melissa McCarthy continues with this same character persona film after film. She’s rather talented and has a great thing going with “Mike & Molly”, but time after time she keeps accepting these repulsive roles. We seem the same slovenly character who can’t catch a break, only to pull back layers and realize she really has a heart of gold. It was funny in “Bridesmaids” and definitely amusing in her supporting role in “Hangover III”, but the time and place for that character has come and gone with the rest of her filmography being made up with the same tired and worn out jokes over and over. I tried to laugh, as I actually found “Identity Thief” semi amusing, but I think I cracked a smile ONCE during “Tammy”. The movie was written as a black comedy, but the problem is Melissa isn’t funny as Tammy and the movie ends up being awkwardly uncomfortable most of the time. The kind of awkwardness for you feel embarrassed for the people acting on screen and squirm in your seat trying not to hit the fast forward button, but desperately wanting for the scene to pass. 

I don’t know if it was the writing, or the lazy performances, or just because Melissa’s “oh look at me, I’m fat” humor has become a bit stale, but either way the movie just didn’t work in any way shape or form. They tried so hard to mash in 3 or 4 different types of movies, with it seeming like they wanted to cram a dysfunctional family story into a slapstick comedy, but then tried to cram an out of the blue romance into the film, while tossing in a dash of “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” with decidedly poor results. The extended cut of the film adds a few minutes here and there, but it didn’t seem to add or detract from the film at all, mainly just ending up being “a few more minutes” that doesn’t hamper or move the story along in any way. I ended up leaving the viewing rather frustrated, as I like Melissa, but watch her throw her talent away on what turned out to be the worst movie of her career. 






*Rating:* 

Rated R for language including sexual references




*Video* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31897[/img]“Tammy” is usually a very solid 1.85:1 AVC encoded transfer, with some slight blemishes here and there to keep it from going truly great. Colors really pop, and are really vibrant most of the time. Detail is quite good, but there is some softness to the overall filming style and the results make one say “that was pretty good” instead of wowing the viewer. Black level are really good here, showing off some nice inky levels when called upon. Most of the time it’s a fairly bright environment, but there’s still plenty of time to play around in the dark and show off that shadow detail. Contrast is good with no issues to speak of and the disc itself looks like it’s devoid of any major compression issues. Definitely a thumbs up from me. 










*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31905[/img]“Tammy” is your typical comedy, and as a result is a bit front heavy in its presentation style. The dialogue is the main focus here with only a little bit of focus on the rear end of your speaker system. Dialogue is crisp and clean as a whistle here, with a complete balance with the rest of the mix. Dynamic range is rather limited, but that’s to be expected in a dialogue centric film, and the surrounds really don’t have a lot to work with. We have some fun ambient noises during the party scene and the Niagara Falls ending, but most of the time there’s just a little bit of sound coming through those back speakers. LFE actually is quite pleasant, with a nice low end to the film and even gives us a few bangs and booms in the process. 









*Extras* :2.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=31913[/img]
• Extended Cut
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Fun Extras
• Tammy's Road Trip Checklist












*Overall:* :3.5stars:

Ohhh, boy. I really hate dissing on a film, and comedy is one of those subjective things, but I really can’t end up recommending “Tammy” to anyone other than as a method of self-torture. The film lacks any real heart, any real romance, any real COMEDY in any way shape or form and just comes across as an awkward mess most of the time, with Melissa McCarthy playing her “Bridesmaids” schtick into the ground. The audio and video are about the only thing good in this release, which is about the most positive I can say in this situation. If you liked the movie in the theaters, this is certainly a good home video release, but to everyone else all I can say is SKIP IT. 


*Additional Information:*

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandan, Kathy Bates
Directed By: Ben Falcone
Written By: Melissa McCarthy
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC 
Audio: ENGLISH: DTS-HD MA 7.1, Spanish, French DD 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers 
Rated: R
Runtime: 97 Minutes / 100 Minutes
Own “Tammy” on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital HD on November 11th 



*Buy Tammy Blu-ray on Amazon*


*Recommendation: Skip it​*








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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

I saw this at the theater and I thought that Melissa brought nothing new to the table because like you know she always plays these roles. At the same time	when I went in to see it I already knew that and just took it in. The film is not her best film for sure but I thought it was funny most of the time. In my opinion I would give it 3 stars just because I've seen some worse boring films.
Thanks once again for an excellent review.


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