It’s always fascinating to look back through a now-famous actor’s career and see where they got their start. Examples include Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun, Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Leonardo DiCaprio in Critters 3. In this case, we’re looking at the debut of Denise Richards and the late Paul Walker, Tammy and the T-Rex. Released in 1994, the film was co-written and directed by Stewart Raffill (The Ice Pirates, Mac and Me). Interestingly, the concept came about because someone who owned theaters in South America who had access to an animatronic T-Rex. Produced on a budget of less than $1 million, the film was shot and released within a month. Originally an R-rated film, the distributor cut it for a PG-13 until Vinegar Syndrome released an uncut version in 2019. Now with the production history out of the way, let’s examine Tammy and the T-Rex.
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Synopsis
Tammy (Denise Richards) and Michael (Paul Walker) are madly in love despite protests from her ex-boyfriend Billy (George Pilgrim). Meanwhile, the nefarious Dr. Wachenstein (Terry Kiser) has acquired a robotic T-Rex that he plans to bring to life. That night, Michael sneaks into Tammy’s room when Billy and his gang chase him down to teach him a lesson. They leave him at the local wild animal park where he’s mauled by a lion and put in a coma. Tammy and her gay friend Byron (Theo Forsett) visit Michael in the hospital when Wachenstein arrives to take Michael away. Alongside assistant Helga (Ellen Dubin), Wachenstein takes Michael to his lab, extracts his brain, and implants it in the T-Rex. The dinosaur soon wakes up and goes on a rampage, all while trying to find Tammy and get her back. Soon, the police get involved while Wachenstein tries getting the dinosaur back.
Review
Tammy and the T-Rex is one of those movies where you’ll know if you’re interested just by the title. Most people will scoff at the title and not give it a chance, but certain audiences will be drawn in. While I will admit that this isn’t a cinematic masterpiece, it’s still an enjoyably ridiculous film that provides laughs aplenty. Part of what makes it especially funny is how most of the cast take the material so seriously. Kiser and Dubin play up their roles as over-the-top as possible, while Richards and Walker are playing it fairly straight. Even with their relative inexperience, Richards and Walker have surprisingly good chemistry with each other and feel like a couple. There are also fun appearances from character actors George ‘Buck’ Flower, Sean Whalen, Ken Carpenter, and John Franklin. Whether their performance is ridiculous or serious, every cast member gives it their all.
Effects-wise, the T-Rex itself looks like something you’d find at an amusement park or a low-end science museum. The walking scenes are either the T-Rex being dragged along or shots that are someone wearing dinosaur shoes. Also, there are many scenes where the T-Rex’s arms are someone wearing dinosaur gloves, but they’re nowhere near attached. Going back to the T-Rex walking, there are some composite shots of the dinosaur moving that look hilariously awful. Of course, given the film’s low budget, many of these can be excused, and they add to the film’s charm. Probably the film’s biggest flaw is the inconsistent tone, going from high school romance to a mad scientist plot. Along with the inclusion of some extremely graphic gore scenes, it leaves you wondering who exactly this was made for. Overall, Tammy and the T-Rex is a disjointed mess that still has plenty to offer.
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