Tammy is a 2014 American road comedy film directed and co-written by Ben Falcone and produced, co-written by, and starring Melissa McCarthy as the title character. The film also stars Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Sandra Oh, with Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates. The film tells the story of a woman named Tammy who hits the road with her profane, alcoholic grandmother after finding out her husband is cheating. Tammy was released theaters on July 2, 2014.
Although a box office success, grossing $100.5 million from a $20 million budget, it received highly negative reviews from critics with McCarthy and Sarandon receiving Razzie nominations for Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress respectively.
Plot
In Murphysboro, Illinois, Tammy Banks strikes a deer on the way to her job at the fast food restaurant Topper Jack’s, damaging her vehicle; when she arrives, her supervisor, Keith Morgan, is forced to dismiss her from the restaurant. After her car breaks down on the way home on Illinois Route 13, she walks home to find her husband, Greg, eating a romantic meal with their neighbor, Missi. Tammy leaves in frustration and walks two doors down to her parents’ house.
She tells her mother, Deb, about her plans to leave and takes her grandmother Pearl’s Cadillac DeVille. Pearl requests to come along. Tammy initially refuses but ultimately agrees when Pearl proves that she has a large sum of cash. Tammy has beer with Pearl, and the next morning they wake up near a park where Pearl convinces Tammy not to go back home. Pearl wants to go to Niagara Falls with Tammy since she hadn’t gone as a child. Along the way the two stop in a bar in Louisville, Kentucky, Tammy meets Earl Tillman and his son Bobby, and Earl hooks up with Pearl. Tammy and Bobby begin to make a love connection as Pearl and Earl drunkenly make out in the car. Bobby gives Tammy his number to call him so he can pick up Earl. Back at the hotel, Tammy is forced to sleep outside. The next morning, Bobby picks up Earl, and the two leave. Tammy, infuriated with Pearl, leaves her, but returns after feeling guilty. Tammy and Pearl are arrested after Pearl gets caught buying a case of beer for two teenagers as well as shoplifting a pint of whiskey for herself. Tammy is released, but Pearl stays at the jail for possessing illegal prescription drugs.
To bail out Pearl, Tammy robs a Topper Jack’s, where she converses with employees Becky (Sarah Baker) and Larry (Rich Williams). Finally having obtained the money, she rushes to the prison to bail Pearl out, but Bobby has already bailed her out. With the help of Pearl’s wealthy lesbian cousin Lenore, they destroy the car to hide the evidence from the robbery. The two then stay at the home of Lenore and her wife, Susanne. At a 4th of July party thrown at the house, Pearl gets drunk and humiliates Tammy by making rude comments about her weight and appearance in front of all the guests. After Tammy runs off to the dock on the lake by the house, Lenore follows her with both comfort and some tough love.
Tammy brings coffee to Pearl, who is presumably asleep outside. After repeatedly trying to wake her, Pearl does not wake up and Tammy assumes she is dead. She, Lenore, and Susanne grieve Pearl’s death, but Pearl suddenly awakens, much to everyone’s shock. Pearl was actually unconscious due to the large amount of alcohol she drank the previous night. Tammy is relieved, and she tearfully demands Pearl to get help for her drinking problem. The ambulance arrives and takes Pearl to the hospital. The police arrive as well, and Tammy is arrested for her robbery of Topper Jack’s.
Tammy is released from prison 38 days later, and her father, Don, picks her up. He offers to kill Greg for her, though she declines. Returning home, Tammy finds that Greg and Missi have packed Tammy’s belongings. She and Greg agree to an amicable divorce. She walks down the street to her parents’ place and finds out that Pearl is now living in Brookview Retirement Home. Tammy goes to Brookview to break her out, but Pearl is actually happy there. She has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at the home, and she is dating one of the men there. However, they do still take a trip to Niagara Falls.
At Niagara Falls, Bobby surprises Tammy there and they kiss. Tammy tells him about her choice to move to Louisville to get a fresh start in life and get closer to him. Missi leaves Greg to be with Keith and Tammy befriends Becky and Larry.
Cast
Melissa McCarthy as Tammy Banks, the titular character
Susan Sarandon as Pearl Balzen, Deb’s Mother, Don’s Mother-in-Law and Tammy’s grandmother
Kathy Bates as Lenore Balzen, Pearl’s cousin
Allison Janney as Deb, Tammy’s mother
Dan Aykroyd as Don, Tammy’s father
Mark Duplass as Bobby Tillman, Tammy’s love interest
Gary Cole as Earl Tillman, Bobby’s father and Pearl’s love interest
Nat Faxon as Greg Banks, Tammy’s husband
Toni Collette as Missi Jenkins, Tammy and Greg’s neighbor and Greg’s love interest
Sandra Oh as Susanne, Lenore’s wife
Ben Falcone as Keith Morgan, Tammy’s supervisor at a local Topper Jack’s Fast Food
Sarah Baker as Becky, an employee at the Topper Jack’s, where Tammy commits a robbery
Rich Williams as Larry, an employee at the Topper Jack’s, where Tammy commits a robbery
Mark L. Young as Jesse
Mia Rose Frampton as Karen
Steve Little as Jet Ski Renter
Steve Mallory as Cashier
Damon Jones as Jerry Miller
Sandy McCarthy as one of two ladies leaving bar
Reviews
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