Tammy

With hit comedies Bridesmaids and The Heat under her belt, Melissa McCarthy reveals bigger ambitions by co-writing and producing as well as starring in this road movie. Directed by McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone, from a script the couple wrote together, this freewheeling trip is sadly lacking in drive, rhythm or laughs. McCarthy's Tammy is likeably brash as she runs over a deer on her way to work, before lashing out at her boss and cheating husband - but the gags don't have the killer blow you might expect. Tammy's grandma (Susan Sarandon) simply adds to her problems, except her antics aren't so funny when the issue of alcoholism is raised, taking the film into different territory and giving Sarandon too much of a burden with a character uninterested in redemption. Mark Duplass, Toni Collette and Kathy Bates are also wasted in their roles, and the banter is only mildly amusing, making this particular road feel all too long and winding.