( CNN ) -- A road trip , Melissa McCarthy and a drunken Susan Sarandon . Sounds like a recipe for a summer blockbuster , right ? That 's what McCarthy and her husband , Ben Falcone , are hoping to pull off with their July 2 comedy , `` Tammy . '' The pair co-wrote and co-produced the feature about an unhinged woman who 's suffered a job loss and an unfaithful husband in too short a time span . McCarthy stars as the titular troubled Tammy , while Falcone took a seat in the director 's chair for the first time . And according to the duo , they have a peculiar dream to thank for their inspiration . `` Apparently ( Falcone ) goes and has really strange dreams about alcoholic grandmothers , but it 's working out great for us , '' McCarthy joked at the movie 's June 30 premiere . `` I know it sounds a little bit creepy , '' Falcone added , `` but I came downstairs and I just told Melissa , 'Would you want to do a road trip movie ? ' And `` a mere seven years later , '' here they are , with `` Tammy '' having ridden McCarthy 's reputation for perfectly executed physical comedy right to the top of this summer 's `` must-see '' list . The only nightmare in the realization of their literal dream comedy is that the critics are n't laughing . Variety 's called it `` a well-meaning personal project that never rises above the level of amiable mediocrity , '' and The San Francisco Chronicle was n't any kinder . `` There 's only one genuinely funny scene in 'Tammy , ' and of course it 's the first . '' Rather than a production team , the Chronicle continues , `` Tammy '' needed `` an intervention . '' IndieWire thought the marketing campaign 's emphasis on just one scene -- you know the one , where she 's robbing a fast-food restaurant of its pie -- was because if `` anyone understood what the actual movie consisted of , they 'd probably stay away in droves . ... 'Tammy ' is a boring , unfunny road movie that limps along idly , consisting of a string of nonsensical set pieces and halfhearted stabs at character development that come across as off-putting and odd . As soon as our screening ended , a woman behind us sighed and said , 'That was uncomfortable . ' We could n't agree more . '' The Hollywood Reporter does n't expect `` Tammy '' to have a long ride through the summer , suspecting that McCarthy 's fans will show up initially before the title fizzles out . `` The film progresses from merely unfunny to unconvincing to dull , '' THR reviews . `` It 's a waste of a good cast as well as a serious trip wire for McCarthy , who may know what 's best for her talents but , on the evidence , needs a deft-handed outsider to make sure she 's maximizing them . '' No wonder Entertainment Weekly sympathetically acknowledges that `` it 's hard out here for a Tammy . '' The movie 's script is `` lumpy '' and the supporting actors `` never quite get to tap into what they can do , '' EW observes , but at the very least , `` even when the material falls short , ( McCarthy 's ) never not worth watching . '' See more comedy content at CNN Comedy . CNN 's Topher Gauk-Roger contributed to this report .
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone 's `` Tammy '' was born from a dream . The couple co-wrote and co-produced the comedy . In addition to writing, they also produced it with their friend and fellow comedian Paul Scheuring.