Tammy's Always Dying

2019
1h 25m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

455

YOUR RATING

Felicity Huffman in Tammy's Always Dying (2019)

On the 29th of every month, when the welfare runs out, Catherine talks her alcoholic mother off of the same bridge. Literally. Catherine, a connoisseur of bad decisions, dreams of being successful. At anything. Tammy, her mother, has been so poor for so long all she can do is party about it. When Tammy is diagnosed with terminal cancer Catherine is forced to move in and care for her. Enter Ilana, a glamorous purveyor of talk-show tragedy porn who wants to help Catherine publish her life story. Caught between sacrifice and selling out, Catherine must decide if life without Tammy is really a better life.

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Drama

Catherine, a young woman forced to care for her embarrassing alcoholic mother, decides to flee her life of poverty and appear on a sleazy talk show after her mother is diagnosed with termina... Read allCatherine, a young woman forced to care for her embarrassing alcoholic mother, decides to flee her life of poverty and appear on a sleazy talk show after her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Catherine, a young woman forced to care for her embarrassing alcoholic mother, decides to flee her life of poverty and appear on a sleazy talk show after her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

455

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 5 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:08

Trailer

Photos22

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9:57

Storyline

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Trivia
The last movie Felicity Huffman made prior to being convicted and going to jail for her role in the college cheating scandal.

Goofs
When shown in the body of the movie, the surname of the character portrayed by Lauren Holly, the Gordon Baker Show producer, is Weisman. In the end credits, it is Wiseman.

Soundtracks
Kites
Written by Kathleen York
Performed by Kathleen York (as Bird York)
Produced by Kathleen York and J.J. Blair
Courtesy of Bird In The Hand Music

User reviews23

Featured review

7/10

LIGHT RAIL WRECK

Whoa, has Felicity Huffman ever let herself go!

With a mat of hair and raccoon mascara, Tammy boozes away her welfare check, then concludes her month binge with a wobbly climb to perch atop a precarious bridge, waiting for some form of salvation. Her daughter plays along with the routine, but this ain't no family love in.

Catherine has her own issues, and her crazy mother may or may not be the root cause. Irregardless, they coexist, sparring and pushing buttons as only direct kin can. The dynamic may be old hat, but it is balanced with a good balance of guilt, compassion, fury and a sneaky bite of dark comedy. Tammy's abusive train wreck act is hard to stomach, making Catherine's willingness to play the snappy Saint a bit puzzling. But there they are, stuck in their perfectly orchestrated ruts.

Huffman is particularly enjoyable as a totally despicable character, with just enough glimpses of joy and insight sprinkled amongst her destructive ways to offer some kind of hope. There's a human in there, somewhere.

"Tammy's Always Dying" is filmed under the omnipresent grey skies of former steel town Hamilton, a rubbly city oh so close to the flashy big time (Toronto) that cleverly mirrors its occupants. Life is hard, and even though there's something on the horizon, it may be unreachable. The second act plays with that rainbow goal dynamic, but muddies the pace, only to have it saved by film's end. The complicated mother - daughter relationship is the heart of the movie, and its ultimate redemption.