Tammy and the T-Rex is the epitome of the cult movie. It’s a film that is unknown to the masses, known only to a select few that have fallen down the rabbit-hole of strange and peculiar films from the nineties. The fact that the film is so little known is strange when you consider that the leads are Denise Richards and Paul Walker. Richards stars as teen dream Tammy, whose new wholesome boyfriend Michael (Walker) is a world away from her violent ex, Billy (George Pilgrim). After Billy leaves Michael for dead in a lion-infested wildlife park, Michael finds himself the subject of a twisted experiment by a fanatical scientist. When he awakens, he finds his brain is now in control of a robotic tyrannosaurus. Alone and afraid, Michael stomps his way back to find his beloved, but can Tammy accept the monster that her love has become?
What makes Tammy and the T-Rex such an intriguing project is that, although initially created to be an R rated horror movie, it was released in the US heavily cut and aimed at a more teen-friendly PG13 market. Chopping a gore-filled horror comedy down to a feel-good Romeo and Juliet story seems like a very odd decision and yet that was deemed the best way to bring in an audience. Thankfully, someone eventually saw sense and now finally the film arrives in the UK on blu-ray in its full and uncut glory.
Tammy and the T-Rex will never win any technical awards, the movie is littered with issues; continuity errors, crew members and equipment being in shot, camera edits that don’t match up, being just a few of the mistakes on display. It’s also clear to see why it wasn’t nominated for any other awards: the acting is stilted, wooden, and way too exaggerated, with Richards being particularly bad. Walker’s performance is slightly better, and although only on screen for a few scenes, it’s easy to see how he went on to become the likeable star that he was. The script is terribly dire and has not aged well, especially the dialogue around Tammy’s black, gay BFF Byron (Theo Forsett). The typically nineties alt-rock grunge soundtrack becomes the saving grace of the film, offering plenty of toe-tapping distractions to what is on screen. The rough ramshackle appearance is no doubt a result of the film being cobbled together on the fly after the crew came into temporary ownership of an animatronic dinosaur.
Despite all of its failures though, there is something oddly magical about watching Tammy and the T-Rex. Whether it’s the bewilderment that either Richards or Walker achieved high-profile careers with this title on their list of credits or the bemusement as to why the first robot body for housing a brain is apparently logically a dinosaur, there’s something about the film that commands you to keep on watching. This inability to avert the eyes and the compelling car-crash nature of the narrative means that Tammy and the T-Rex most certainly deserves a spot in the movies that are “so bad they are good” catalogue.
The Blu-ray release also includes the gore less cut as part of the bonus materials. It makes for a much less entertaining and rewarding watch than the gore cut, and it truly baffles the mind how this version got released, and how it made any sense to those that watched it.
Tammy and the T-Rex is just the type of cult film that screens beautifully at London’s Prince Charles Cinema. Much like The Room, it is a film that benefits from watching with as big (and drunk) an audience as possible. Obviously this type of screening isn’t possible at the moment so the blu-ray, a bucket of booze, and a willingly viewing partner will have to do. The smaller viewing party may not create the exact atmosphere of a big cinema crowd, but Tammy and the T-Rex will leave everyone with a big grin on their faces, making it the perfect lockdown pick-me-up.
Tammy and the T-Rex arrives on Blu-ray on 8th February 2021.
Tammy and the T-Rex
Summary
Much like Michael, Tammy and the T-Rex is best enjoyed with your brain removed. It’s kitsch, camp, and cartoonish insanity, is irresistibly entertaining, and transports the viewer back to that magical and questionable era of filmmaking.
