What's new

Blu-ray Review Tammy (Extended Cut) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Ken_McAlinden

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,241
Location
Livonia, MI USA
Real Name
Kenneth McAlinden
Tammy (Extended Cut) Blu-ray Review

Melissa McCarthy's skyrocketing popularity thanks to standout performances in box office hits Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Identity Thief landed her enough clout in 2014 that she could co-write, produce and star in her own wide release feature film, Tammy. Co-written and directed by McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone, the film places McCarthy in a fairly conventional road trip scenario, pairs her with Susan Sarandon as her feisty alcoholic grandmother, and surrounds them both with a supporting cast of comedy ringers against which they can riff/improvise.



Studio: Warner Brothers

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD, Other

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese

Rating: R

Run Time: 1 Hr. 37 Min.(Theatrical) 1 Hr. 40 Min.(Extended)

Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet

Standard sized Blu-ray case with two disc hubs and cardboard slipcover

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer), DVD-9 (dual layer)

Region: A, 1

Release Date: 11/11/2014

MSRP: $35.99




The Production Rating: 3/5

Tammy (2014)

Directed by: Ben Falcone

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Bates, Mark Duplass, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, and Sandra Oh

Melissa McCarthy stars as Tammy who hits a deer with her Corolla, gets fired from her fast food job, and discovers that her husband Greg (Faxon) is having an affair with her neighbor Missy (Collette) before she is even out of the movie's first reel. Despondent, she packs up her belongings and heads for her mother's (Janney) house down the street. Tammy's plans to skip town in her Grandmother Pearl's (Sarandon) car are thrown for a loop when Pearl insists she take her along as well. Thank's to alcohol, pills, and a lifetime of questionable decisions, Pearl is carrying almost as much personal baggage as Tammy, making their planned trip to Niagara Falls a challenge of much more than distance.

Howard Hawks once said that a good movie consists of at least three great scene and no bad ones. Tammy has one great scene (involving the robbery of a fast food joint), and it does not have any really bad ones, either. That may not fully meet the criteria, but it is still good for a few laughs.

McCarthy is a skilled comedienne who can milk humor out of almost any premise or situation and Sarandon is a more than capable comic foil for her (although her being cast as McCarthy's grandmother and Janney's mother strains credulity) . The supporting cast is peppered with a dream team of character actors inclusive of Kathy Bates as Cousin Lenore, Gary Cole as Bobby, a heavy drinking barfly who strikes up a hot and heavy relationship with Pearl, and Dan Aykroyd as Tammy's father Don. The skills of these actors, along with comedy ringers like Mark Duplass and Sarah Baker keep the film dependably funny, but the flimsy premise and lack of narrative direction (paralleling the journey depicted in the film), prevents it from ever approaching greatness.

In addition to the theatrical cut of Tammy, this Blu-ray includes an extended cut that runs a little over three minutes longer. The extended version underlines a few plot points, offers a few new comedic scenes, and slightly expands a few of the sequences from the theatrical film. It neither improves nor undermines the theatrical cut in any significant way. Additions that I noticed while watching the extended cut included:
  • A slightly longer Jet Ski montage
  • An added scene at a gas station convenience store where Pearl buys a lottery ticket and Tammy first notices Pearl’s ankles swelling. (the longest single addition)
  • Extra dialog about a wooden eagle
  • Tammy’s inept "come-on" to two guys in a bar lasts a bit longer
  • The “Thrift Shop" scored musical interlude prior to a robbery is extended
  • An additional “Thrift Shop” coda after the robbery sequence is added
  • An added scene near the end of the film where Tammy gets a send off from her parents before heading off on a second road trip.
  • An added scene immediately before the credits with Tammy working as a waitress trying to talk a customer out of ordering ribs
  • An added interstitial scene during the credits in which Tammy’s Dad settles things with her former boss
  • A title card with additional credits for the Extended Cut


Tammy Playlist


Video Rating: 4/5  3D Rating: NA

The film is presented via an AVC-encoded 1080p presentation that approximates the original theatrical aspect ratio by filling the entire 16:9 frame. The film's rather plain cinematography is rendered faithfully on disc with excellent detail. Film grain is subtle, but apparent and intact.



Audio Rating: 3.5/5

The film's original English language audio is conveyed via a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. The surround and LFE field are used sparingly and creatively for music and very particular effects. Dialog is occasionally a bit compressed sounding, likely due to the technical challenges of capturing dialog live in various location settings, which allowed for the cast to improvise freely.



Special Features Rating: 3/5

When the disc is first played, the viewer is greeted the following promos:
  • Horrible Bosses 2 Theatrical Trailer
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Theatrical Trailer
Proper extras accessible from the disc's Special Features menu include:
Tammy’s Road Trip Checklist (4:28) in which Writer/Producer Melissa McCarthy (“Tammy”) and Director/Producer Ben Falcone discuss the possibly over ambitious road trip they took with their young children after the making of the film while offering semi-tongue in cheek travel tips. Their interview is preceded by brief comments about real-life road trips taken by Kathy Bates (”Lenore”) and Susan Sarandon (”Pearl”).

Gag Reel (3:22) is a modestly amusing collection of dialog flubs and prop issues caught on camera during the making of the film.

Delete Scenes (4:49 w/”play all”) includes a collection of four deleted and/or alternate scenes that did not appear in the theatrical or extended editions of the film.
  • Strip Club 1 is a cut scene where Tammy and Pearl discuss the unusually good chowder at a strip club they visit and tie quite a few drinks on.
  • Strip Club 2 is an alternate version of the above in which Tammy and Pearl discuss how surprisingly nice the strip club and its crab legs are, tie quite a few drinks on and a surprise dancer takes the stage
  • Ski Burger is a cut sequence in which Tammy and Pearl place wildly different orders at a hamburger stand and then discuss their views on healthy habits.
  • Hot Tub is an extended version of a scene near the end of the film with some additional dialog.
Under the sub-menu of Fun Extras are the following three collections of alternate takes:
  • Poom-O-Rama (1:44) offers multiple improvised takes of a scene where Tammy flips of her her boss after being fired
  • Wave-O-Rama (2:02) offers multiple alternate takes of Tammy “hot-dogging” on a Jet Ski
  • Mindless Chat-O-Rama (2:07) includes multiple improvised bits of humorous small talk between Tammy and Pearl while driving
this Blu-ray combo pack comes packaged with a SD DVD that contains the theatrical cut of the film in standard definition 16:9 enhanced video with available Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, French, and Spanish and available subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

When the SD DVD is first played, the viewer is greeted with the following series of skippable promos:
  • Horrible Bosses 2 Theatrical Trailer
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Theatrical Trailer
  • Into the Storm Home Video Trailer
  • The Judge Theatrical Trailer
  • This is Where I Leave You Home Video Trailer
  • Jupiter Ascending Theatrical Trailer
The only proper extra on the SD DVD is the Gag Reel also present on the Blu-ray.



Overall Rating: 3/5

Tammy is a sporadically funny road trip comedy with a plot so thin that it plays like little more than an episodic series of sketches. Fans of Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon may enjoy watching them riffing off of each other and the talented supporting cast, but it ultimately does not do justice to the level of talent involved. It is presented on Blu-ray with a solid visual presentation and a lossless audio track marred only by occasional harsh sounding dialog. Extras are modestly entertaining but lack substance. In addition to the theatrical version of the film, this disc includes an extended edition that adds three minutes to the running time without any significant improvements or detriments.


Reviewed By: Ken_McAlinden


Support HTF when you buy this title:

 

JoeDoakes

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
3,448
Real Name
Ray
I watched this and personally I am outraged that they butchered it. I don't recall seeing Debbie Reynolds once.
 

Ken_McAlinden

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,241
Location
Livonia, MI USA
Real Name
Kenneth McAlinden
Kidding aside, Debbie Reynolds would have been a more plausible choice to play the role of Pearl. Now if only Leslie Nielsen were alive to play the Gary Cole role...
 

Ken_McAlinden

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,241
Location
Livonia, MI USA
Real Name
Kenneth McAlinden
For those interested in such things, I redeemed the Ultraviolet digital copy through Vudu, and it added it to my libray as an "HD" copy (not "HDX").

That was the first time I have experienced that with an Ultraviolet HD redemption.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,107
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
1
Top