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Parents' Guide to

Tammy

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Uneven, mean buddy comedy about family and identity.

Movie R 2014 96 minutes
Tammy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 15+

It's funny

Melissa McCarthy is funny, yet again - the movie has some raunchy parts - but it's a great laugh.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 14+

Not funny infrequent uses of language and sex references

This movie has many uses of sh-t and infrequent uses of f--k. People overestimate how rude this movie is because, really, this movie is not that bad. There are some silly sex references used for no reason and f--k is used for no reason as well. This movie is not that bad but is a very boring and not funny comedy.

This title has:

Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (21 ):

Frankly, this movie's a mess. If Tammy reminds you of a certain film about two women who take to the open road on a search for their authentic selves, you aren't alone; this really should have been titled Tammy and Louise, a not-so-big leap considering that Sarandon plays a similar "agitator" part in both films. The big difference is that Thelma and Louise was complex and had depth. But with Tammy, you get the idea that the filmmakers just wanted to see how many jokes McCarthy and the rest of the cast could make, never mind that some of them were duds (and make cruel fun of the main character). The writing veers from earnest to downright mean, with little notice of where the mood could swing at any given time. You'll find yourself laughing, then suddenly cringing.

Buddy comedies work when there's chemistry and rapport between the two buddies. Tammy and Pearl are like oil and water, and their relationship and -- more important -- their subsequent bonding, doesn't feel rooted in anything relatable. Neither are the supposed romances they start up on the road.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: July 2, 2014
  • On DVD or streaming: November 11, 2014
  • Cast: Melissa McCarthy , Susan Sarandon , Dan Aykroyd
  • Director: Ben Falcone
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Bisexual actors
  • Studio: New Line
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 96 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: language including sexual references
  • Last updated: June 20, 2023

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