Tammy’s Always Dying – A Dramedy Full Of Wasted Potential

Being a Canadian, it is always fascinating to see Canadian films taking place so close to home. While Tammy’s Always Dying is a film that represents Canadian culture, almost everything else in the film feels like wasted potential. The film is the newest dark dramedy serving as Amy Jo Johnson’s directorial debut, starring Felicity Huffman and Anastasia Phillips as the titular Tammy MacDonald and her daughter Catherine. The film follows Catherine’s trials and tribulations as she attempts to cope with her depressed and alcoholic mother who had also been recently diagnosed with cancer. 

The best thing about Tammy’s Always Dying is the chemistry that Huffman and Phillips bring to the screen as Tammy and Catherine as these extremely talented actresses give it their all. Huffman especially steals the show. Their performances feel authentic and driven, helping to bring hard emotion to the story. Along with Clark Johnson as Doug, the film features some of the best performances in a Canadian film since 2010’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Meanwhile, the cinematography is as well constructed as Johnson’s in your face realistic direction. The film’s setting, based in the Toronto/Hamilton area, is very embraceful, holding back nothing to represent Ontario and Toronto with pride. The film’s graphic nature is worth mentioning as it is sure to make some audiences uncomfortable. However, this is handled in a way that never felt overbearing or disturbing. 

Unfortunately, all of these positives can’t be truly appreciated as a result of Tammy’s Always Dying’s weak script. Though the film is sure to peak some interest throughout, most of the film feels repetitive, bland and pointless. The plot needed refinement as it was all over the place as many subplots felt unnecessary causing the rest of the film to never delve deeper than the surface and leaving plenty of unanswered questions in its wake thanks to an open ending. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing when the lead up to it is handled in a compelling way, this was not the case here. Meanwhile, another big problem with the film was its inability to decide which genre it wants to be. Combining comedic and dramatic elements, the lack of a tonal balance makes the film come off as awkward at times or cringeworthy at others. 

At the end of the day, Tammy’s Always Dying is a film that can be appreciated for its use of its Canadian setting but for the most part, this was really all the film had going for it. Despite everything else going on here, it will still be interesting to see whatever project Amy Jo Johnson does next as she still holds plenty of promise behind the camera. 

*still courtesy of JA Productions*

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and check out my Letterboxd.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook. Also subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Jaeden Noel