---
title: "Tammy"
year: 2014
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/tammy"
fi1m_id: "tammy"
imdb_id: "tt2103254"
tmdb_id: 226486
wikidata_id: "Q15901539"
fi1m_score: 38
critics_score: 34
critics_reviews: 25
published: "2026-09-25T01:50:29.476388+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-25T01:50:39.267738+00:00"
region: "AR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Tammy (2014)

Directed by Ben Falcone · 1h 37m · Comedy

## Identity

Tammy

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/tammy
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** tammy
- **IMDb ID:** tt2103254
- **TMDB ID:** 226486
- **Wikidata ID:** Q15901539
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103254/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/226486, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15901539

**Fi1m score: 38** · Critics 34 from 25 reviews

*In a sentence:* Melissa McCarthy works far harder than anyone should have to for this few laughs

> Melissa McCarthy gives *Tammy* more warmth than its jokes deserve, and Susan Sarandon supplies some welcome mischief. But Ben Falcone’s comedy is slack, short on laughs and too clumsy with its serious scenes to make the goodwill count.

## Synopsis

Melissa McCarthy plays Tammy in this 97-minute comedy, directed by Ben Falcone and written by Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone. Susan Sarandon plays Pearl, Kathy Bates plays Lenore, and Mark Duplass plays Bobby. The ensemble also includes Gary Cole as Earl and Allison Janney as Deb, with Dan Aykroyd as Don and Sandra Oh as Susanne. Nat Faxon plays Greg, Toni Collette plays Missi, and Ben Falcone appears as Keith Morgan. The film carries a 15 certificate.

## Review

Ben Falcone’s *Tammy* wants us to laugh at a difficult woman and then care about the hurt underneath. That is a reasonable ambition for a comedy, and Melissa McCarthy is an actor we would trust with both jobs. The film lets her down: it is poorly shaped and not funny often enough to justify its demands for sympathy. Written by Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, it keeps changing how it asks us to regard Tammy without making those changes convincing.

Melissa McCarthy is not the problem, though the film gives her plenty of opportunities to look like it. As Tammy, she makes the brashness feel defensive, and the flashes of uncertainty are more interesting than the louder business surrounding them. We felt for her when that confidence faltered, because she made Tammy’s embarrassment recognisable rather than merely a reason to laugh at her. The difficulty is that the screenplay keeps returning to the broad behaviour without deepening our understanding of it.

Susan Sarandon, playing Pearl, brings a welcome suggestion that the comedy might become unruly. Her exchanges with Melissa McCarthy have bite, and she does not need to force a line to make her presence felt. Kathy Bates, as Lenore, provides another reminder of how useful a settled performance can be in a film unsure of its tone. Neither can make up for a script that offers the cast moments to play without giving those moments enough consequence.

Russ T. Alsobrook’s cinematography keeps the performers legible but does little to sharpen the comedy: there is not much pleasure in how a reaction is framed or how people occupy a shot. Jefferson Sage’s production design is similarly unobtrusive, with little that gives us something to notice beyond the actors. Neither is the chief reason the film fails. But in a comedy already short of good lines, the lack of interest in the image leaves the cast carrying almost everything.

Michael L. Sale’s editing does not find a persuasive rhythm between the broad comedy and the serious passages. The jokes need firmer stops, while the hurt needs time to register before the film asks for another laugh. Michael Andrews’s music offers little help in making those shifts feel earned. We grew bored by the repeated effort to restart the comedy, because the changes of tone kept interrupting what small involvement the performances had managed to build.

A character comedy does not need a relentless supply of punchlines, but it does need people whose behaviour we can follow. Here the screenplay’s sympathy for Tammy is evident, yet its treatment of her is inconsistent. We are asked to enjoy her excesses and then take her vulnerability seriously without enough connecting work. Ben Falcone’s direction allows the two kinds of scene to remain separate, and the quieter passages have to work too hard to make us care about her again.

There is kindness here, and that matters. The film does not feel contemptuous of its lead, even when it cannot decide how to write her, and the performances offer enough warmth to prevent it becoming unpleasant. At 97 minutes it still feels drawn out. Admirers of Melissa McCarthy may appreciate the tender work between the noisy stretches; anyone coming chiefly for a laugh should choose something else.

*Fi1m score 38, published 25 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Tammy an uneven, insufficiently funny road comedy whose cast supplies more pleasure than its script. Praise centres on Susan Sarandon’s comic presence, with several reviews also finding warmth, energy or vulnerability in Melissa McCarthy’s performance. Even among the negative notices, there is some appreciation for the film’s sincerity and its willingness to give its women room to misbehave.

The recurring complaints concern loose plotting, sluggish direction and shifts between slapstick and sentiment that leave both the jokes and the drama struggling. The spread runs from qualified affection to outright exasperation, with McCarthy dividing critics between those who find her winning and those who see a familiar routine poorly served by an underwritten character. There is disagreement even over the central pairing: Paste enjoys the barbed exchanges between McCarthy and Sarandon, while Digital Spy identifies their lack of chemistry as a central weakness.

## Straight answers

**Is Tammy worth watching?**

*Tammy* is hard to recommend beyond Melissa McCarthy admirers; we score it 38 out of 100 for its sparse laughs and clumsy shifts into serious drama. McCarthy brings warmth and recognisable vulnerability, and Susan Sarandon adds mischief, but we find the comedy slack enough to make its 97 minutes feel drawn out.

**How long is Tammy, and what is it rated?**

*Tammy* runs 1h 37m. It is a comedy film.

**Where can I watch Tammy in Argentina?**

*Tammy* is streaming on HBO Max and Netflix in Argentina. It leaves HBO Max on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Tammy, and is it suitable for children?**

*Tammy* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not suitable for children under 15. That classification signals material intended for older teenagers and adults, but we cannot give a more specific warning about violence or frightening scenes from the content details available.

**How does Tammy compare to Muriel's Wedding?**

*Tammy* is the weaker choice beside *Muriel’s Wedding*, which we recommend for a more convincing mixture of broad comedy and a socially awkward heroine’s hurt. Both have warmth, but *Tammy* struggles to connect its jokes with its serious scenes, while Toni Collette’s performance and the understanding of loneliness in *Muriel’s Wedding* make its rough tonal changes easier to forgive.

**What should I watch after Tammy?**

After *Tammy*, try [*Muriel's Wedding*](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding) (1994, Fi1m 81): A socially awkward heroine gets comic freedom without having her hurt brushed aside. Then [*Hunt for the Wilderpeople*](https://film.one/film/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople) (2016, Fi1m 82): A mismatched pair on the run, with jokes that leave room for tenderness.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tammy-2014)
- **The New York Times**, A. O. Scott (64/100, inferred): The review page could not be accessed, so its verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available page. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/movies/in-tammy-melissa-mccarthy-hits-the-road.html)
- **Time Out**, Keith Uhlich (3/5): The available page metadata identifies this as a review and assigns it three out of five stars. No review text is accessible, so the critic’s specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/tammy)
- **Radio Times**, Stella Papamichael (2/5): Papamichael finds the road comedy short on drive, rhythm and laughs. McCarthy is likeably brash, but the gags lack the expected impact. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-0dt0ry/tammy/)
- **Total Film**, Kate Stables (2/5): Stables finds the film warm but uneven, with its comedy and poignancy poorly balanced by flabby direction and an episodic script. She praises Susan Sarandon as a scene-stealer and says McCarthy’s sweetness keeps the comedy relatable. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/tammy-review/)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (40/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the film awkwardly caught between slapstick and sincere drama, rather than simply bad. He praises Susan Sarandon’s comic presence, which he says steals scenes, while criticizing the film’s tonal shifts. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/tammy-movie-review-melissa-mccarthy.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, David Lee Dallas (1.5/4): The critic finds the film too tepid as comedy and too contrived as drama, despite its watchability. Kathy Bates’s performance and the film’s casually wayward road-trip sequences are singled out as highlights. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/tammy/)
- **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (35/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film well-intentioned but says its laughs are too infrequent for it to find its stride. He praises McCarthy as a winning screen presence and applauds the film’s empowered women. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/06/tammy-review-melissa-mccarthy-susan-sarandon-comedy-road-movie)
- **Variety**, Justin Chang (35/100, inferred): Chang finds the comedy an amiable but ultimately mediocre misfire. He praises McCarthy’s versatility, while faulting the film’s unconvincing effort to turn formulaic comedy into affecting character drama. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-tammy-1201255994/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (30/100, inferred): Sharkey finds the comedy unsatisfying, saying its humor and emotional moments never come together in a satisfying way. She singles out Susan Sarandon as an exception to an otherwise underused supporting cast, and argues McCarthy needs to vary her comic roles. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-tammy-review-20140702-column.html)
- **The Independent**, Geoffrey Macnab (30/100, inferred): Macnab finds the road comedy erratic, veering between gross-out humor and sentimentality without a clear direction. He particularly criticizes the film’s uncertain attitude toward Tammy, who is both mocked and framed as a heroine. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/tammy-film-review-melissa-mccarthy-takes-all-the-pratfalls-in-this-erratic-comedy-9581210.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (30/100, inferred): Brody finds the film an original, socially observant premise undermined by weak comedy and unfocused direction. He praises the cast’s distinctive performances, while faulting the film for never integrating its comic and tragic elements. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/melissa-mccarthys-failed-tammy)
- **Empire**, Anna Smith (25/100, inferred): The review finds the comedy mostly mirthless, despite a few laughs. It criticizes the film’s lack of tension and sympathetic characters. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tammy-review/)
- **IndieWire**, Anne Thompson (20/100, inferred): Thompson finds the comedy limp and unfocused, arguing that it wastes McCarthy’s chance to show her range. She faults Tammy’s poorly constructed character and says Susan Sarandon and Kathy Bates outshine McCarthy. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-and-roundup-why-melissa-mccarthy-vehicle-tammy-never-takes-off-191690/)
- **Screen Daily**, Brent Simon (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the comedy tired, lifeless and under-motivated. The headline singles out its lack of vitality as the central complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/tammy/5073714.article)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (10/100, inferred): Sexton considers the comedy a disastrous, inept failure that wastes its cast. He finds only a few physical-comedy moments mildly amusing, while criticizing the film’s tone and portrayal of Tammy. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/tammy-film-review-melissa-mccarthys-comedy-wastes-a-stellar-cast-9583285.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the comedy unfunny, increasingly unconvincing, and dull, calling it a serious misstep for Melissa McCarthy. He singles out the squandered cast and McCarthy’s familiar aggressive shtick, which he says no longer works here. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/tammy-film-review-716027/)
- **Consequence**, Blake Goble (45/100, inferred): Goble finds Tammy a clumsy, middle-of-the-road dramedy, weakened by an unrefined script and undemanding direction. He appreciates the cast’s relaxed chemistry and the occasional moments of sincerity. [Read](https://consequence.net/2014/07/film-review-tammy/)
- **Paste**, Christine N. Ziemba (4.4/10): The critic finds the film aimless and largely unsuccessful, with Tammy herself difficult to root for. She praises the barbed scenes between Sarandon and McCarthy as a few bright spots in otherwise scattered material. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/tammy)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2 out of 5): Crow finds the film rarely funny and ultimately not entertaining. He praises Susan Sarandon’s lively performance but says her character fails to anchor the comedy. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/tammy-review/)
- **Collider**, Harrison Pierce (30/100, inferred): Pierce finds the road comedy hit-or-miss and says its weak screenplay fails to give McCarthy’s talents a worthy vehicle. He praises McCarthy’s energetic comic commitment, while criticizing the casting and the overqualified supporting cast’s underused performances. [Read](https://collider.com/tammy-blu-ray-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the comedy poorly made and often unfocused, despite Melissa McCarthy’s on-screen energy. They single out the lack of chemistry between McCarthy and Susan Sarandon as a key weakness. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a581929/tammy-review-melissa-mccarthy-loses-her-way-in-comedy-road-trip/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (25/100, inferred): Pape finds the film frustrating and insufficiently funny, despite its emotional undertones. He praises McCarthy’s vulnerable dramatic moments but feels her talent and the supporting cast are wasted. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/tammy-review/)
- **The Wrap** (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film largely unsuccessful, faulting its weak comedy and underdeveloped protagonist. They praise the chemistry between Melissa McCarthy and Mark Duplass, but say the screenplay fails to make their romance believable. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/tammy-review-melissa-mccarthy-susan-sarandon/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (10/100, inferred): The review is sharply negative, arguing that the film’s comedy is repetitive and embarrassing. It singles out the ending as the best thing about the film, chiefly because it finally arrives. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/tammy-2014-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Ben Falcone
- **Director:** Ben Falcone
- **Writer:** Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
- **Cinematography:** Russ T. Alsobrook
- **Editor:** Michael L. Sale
- **Music:** Michael Andrews
- **Production design:** Jefferson Sage
- **Producer:** Adam McKay, Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell
- **Cast:** Melissa McCarthy as Tammy; Susan Sarandon as Pearl; Kathy Bates as Lenore; Mark Duplass as Bobby; Gary Cole as Earl; Allison Janney as Deb; Dan Aykroyd as Don; Sandra Oh as Susanne
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **First release (Germany):** 2 July 2014
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Budget:** $20 million
- **Box office:** $100 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_GllcxpuI

## Where to watch in Argentina

- HBO Max: streaming, leaving 2026-10-01
- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-25.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore* (1974): Another difficult fresh start, with sharper observation and room for an awkward heroine.
- *Bagdad Cafe* (1987): Stranded strangers find companionship in a patient comedy that lets eccentric people surprise us.
- *Muriel's Wedding* (1994), Fi1m 81: A socially awkward heroine gets comic freedom without having her hurt brushed aside. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/muriels-wedding.md)
- *Grandma* (2015): Family friction and a difficult older woman give this compact comedy its bite.
- *Hunt for the Wilderpeople* (2016), Fi1m 82: A mismatched pair on the run, with jokes that leave room for tenderness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/tammy