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''Tammy's Always Dying'' is a 2019 Canadian
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film directed by
Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on '' ...
and written by Joanne Sarazen. It stars
Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
,
Anastasia Phillips Anastasia Phillips is a Canadian actress known for her work in the film '' Tammy's Always Dying'', and the TV series '' Lucky 7'' and '' Reign''. Life and career Phillips was raised in Etobicoke, Ontario, and obtained her bachelor's degree in ...
,
Jessica Greco Jessica Greco (born June 26th, 1980) is a Canadian actress and comedian best known for playing Karen Thurston, the dead teenage daughter of a chemical factory worker, in the 1997 television adaptation of the '' Goosebumps'' book '' Welcome to De ...
,
Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...
,
Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series ''NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motive' ...
,
Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles on American television series such as Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'', Steve Jinks on ''Warehouse 13'' and Johnny Jaqobis on the Canadian television series ...
and
Kristian Bruun Charles Kristian Bonnycastle Bruun (born October 25, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Orphan Black'' and ''Murdoch Mysteries''. Life and career Bruun was born on October 25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where ...
. It had its world premiere at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
on September 5, 2019. It received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for Huffman's and Phillips' performances. It was released through
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
on May 1, 2020 by
Quiver Distribution Quiver Distribution is an American-Canadian film production and film distribution company founded in 2019 by Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman. The company is best known for releasing films '' The Fanatic'', ''Running with the Devil ''Running wi ...
.


Plot

When Tammy, a self-destructive woman who has a dysfunctional relationship with her daughter Catherine, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Catherine invites a television producer to document her process of caring for her mother in an attempt to profit from their misfortune. However, she finds her plans complicated by Tammy's persistent refusal to actually die.


Cast

*
Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
as Tammy MacDonald *
Anastasia Phillips Anastasia Phillips is a Canadian actress known for her work in the film '' Tammy's Always Dying'', and the TV series '' Lucky 7'' and '' Reign''. Life and career Phillips was raised in Etobicoke, Ontario, and obtained her bachelor's degree in ...
as Catherine MacDonald *
Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...
as Doug *
Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series ''NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motive' ...
as Ilana Wiseman *
Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles on American television series such as Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'', Steve Jinks on ''Warehouse 13'' and Johnny Jaqobis on the Canadian television series ...
as Reggie Seamus *
Kristian Bruun Charles Kristian Bonnycastle Bruun (born October 25, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Orphan Black'' and ''Murdoch Mysteries''. Life and career Bruun was born on October 25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where ...
as Jamie *
Jessica Greco Jessica Greco (born June 26th, 1980) is a Canadian actress and comedian best known for playing Karen Thurston, the dead teenage daughter of a chemical factory worker, in the 1997 television adaptation of the '' Goosebumps'' book '' Welcome to De ...
as Kelly Seamus *
Oluniké Adeliyi Oluniké Adeliyi (born January 5, 1977) is a Canadian actress. She appeared in the 2010 horror film ''Saw 3D'' and starred as Leah Kerns in the television series '' Flashpoint''. Early life Adeliyi was born in Brampton, Ontario, of Jamaican-Nig ...
as Pascal * Ali Hassan as Gordon Baker


Production

In December 2018, it was announced
Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
,
Anastasia Phillips Anastasia Phillips is a Canadian actress known for her work in the film '' Tammy's Always Dying'', and the TV series '' Lucky 7'' and '' Reign''. Life and career Phillips was raised in Etobicoke, Ontario, and obtained her bachelor's degree in ...
,
Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...
,
Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series ''NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motive' ...
and
Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles on American television series such as Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'', Steve Jinks on ''Warehouse 13'' and Johnny Jaqobis on the Canadian television series ...
had joined the cast of the film, with
Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on '' ...
directing from a screenplay by Joanne Sarazen.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
concluded in December 2018 in Hamilton, Ontario.


Release

The film had its world premiere at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
on September 5, 2019. In March 2020,
Quiver Distribution Quiver Distribution is an American-Canadian film production and film distribution company founded in 2019 by Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman. The company is best known for releasing films '' The Fanatic'', ''Running with the Devil ''Running wi ...
acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It was released through
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
on May 1, 2020.


Reception

On review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews. The website's consensus reads, "It occasionally struggles to deal effectively with its weighty themes, but ''Tammy's Always Dying'' is always anchored by Felicity Huffman's finely tuned performance." The film received two
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...
nominations at the
9th Canadian Screen Awards The 9th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held in the week of May 17 to 20, 2021, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2020.Barry Hertz, "How one Canadian arts institution is rebuilding amid the p ...
in 2021, for Best Supporting Actress (Huffman) and Best Hair (Renée Chan).


References


External links

* * 2019 films 2019 black comedy films 2010s English-language films Canadian black comedy films English-language Canadian films Films about cancer Films about television Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Quiver Distribution films 2010s Canadian films {{2010s-Canada-film-stub