‘TAMMY AND THE T-REX’ (1994) – Movie Review

I’ve heard a lot of things about Tammy and the T-Rex over the years-some of them good, but mostly bad-but I didn’t actually sit down and watch it until recently. I was always curious about it as it sounded like one of the movies, they used to show on the weekends on USA Up All Night back in the day that I loved when I was younger, but I just never found the time to check it out for myself. I always thought that it sounded totally and completely bonkers, and I’d always wondered if I would be into it or if it would be a little too cheesy for even my tastes.

So, after the dust cleared and everything what did I think about it after finally watching it? Read on and see my thoughts…

Synopsis

After a brutal attack leaves a young man in the hospital fighting for his life his brain is removed and placed into the body of an animatronic T-Rex by a mad scientist and his cohorts. Will his beloved Tammy be able to love him in his current state, or is their relationship destined to be doomed

Directed by Stewart Raffill (Survival Island, Croc) who also co-wrote the film with Gary Brockette (Deceit), Tammy and the T-Rex is without a doubt an odd little film that won’t appeal to everyone. It stars some pretty big names such as Denise Richards (Wild Things, Valentine) and the late Paul Walker (Joyride, The Fast and the Furious) before they were household names.

I have a feeling that both most likely regretted agreeing to be a part of this film soon after it was released and just wanted to forget about it. That’s unfortunate if it’s true though, because honestly this movie isn’t nearly as bad as people have said that it was, and I personally found it to be a fun and weird little movie that is different and unique in its own special way.

The premise is as simple as it is kooky. Michael is in love with Tammy, but she is reluctant to have a relationship with him even though she is interested in him because she is afraid her psychotic ex-boyfriend (who is basically stalking her) will hurt him if she starts dating him. Lo and behold, said ex-boyfriend does just that (along with his equally nutcase friends) and Michael is attacked by a lion (don’t ask) and ends up in the hospital in critical condition.

Enter the local whacko scientist Dr. Wachenstein (played perfectly by Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood’s Terry Kiser) and his cronies who steal Micheal’s brain and place it in an animatronic T-Rex that they own (again, don’t ask). Wackiness (and surprisingly graphic and gory death scenes) ensue as the T-Rex goes on a rampage to get revenge on those who hurt him as well as to pursue his relationship with Tammy.

I have to say, I really dug this movie. It’s just cute in a weird sort of way and it’s just nutty enough to work in a lot of ways. I think that the premise itself is totally original and is just a neat idea in general. I know that a lot of folks out there will think that it is too silly or weird to be good, and that just isn’t the case if you ask me. Amongst all the goofiness and bloody death scenes that take place (if you watch the uncut version that I saw, anyway), there’s actually a very sweet little love story that takes place that just really gives you the feels if you are a weirdo like me.

I thought that the love story worked for the most part despite how bizarre it is, and you can’t help but want for Michael and Tammy to end up together and live happily ever after even though he’s trapped in the body of a robotic dinosaur. To me this movie is way more romantic than any recent Rom-coms that Hollywood keeps churning out every February to cash in on Valentine’s Day, and the relationship between the two leads is believable thanks to the chemistry that Walker and Richards had.

I also loved the fact that the movie is surprisingly brutal. The T-Rex doesn’t screw around when it comes to taking out the people who have wronged him, and I had a blast watching him go to work. We get several decapitations, people stepped on and squashed, and some unfortunate souls who are eaten by Michael once he goes to work. Again, this only takes place in the uncut version that I saw and I’m not sure what remains in the other cut that was released, but I was quite surprised by how hardcore and bloody some of the death scenes were (the one that involved the people trying to hide under the car from the T-Rex was nothing short of brutal and awesome in my mind).

It’s almost like the filmmakers weren’t sure who the target audience was at times, as it goes from being goofy and sophomoric one moment to bloody and violent the next, and I had a blast with it.

I think that the cast did a great job as well. As I said earlier, Walker and Richards just had a natural chemistry and you believed that they were a couple. You care about both of them and want them to get the happy ending that they both deserve. Terry Kiser was awesome as usual as the main antagonist, and you could tell he had a great time bringing the character to life.

Other memorable members of the cast that stood out were genre favorites George “Buck” Flower (Cheerleader Camp, Wishmaster) as Norville and Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs, Twister) as the appropriately named Weasel. While none of these people may have been particularly proud to appear in this movie for their own reasons, I still think that they all did a fine job and helped make this movie that more enjoyable (for me, anyway).

On the flip side the film isn’t without its flaws. The humor doesn’t quite work most of the time and there are moments that are just painfully unfunny. It seems like the people behind it tried a little too hard at times, and the character of Byron-played by Theo Forsett (Street Knight, The Rookie)-doesn’t quite work as he comes off as a poor imitation of Meschach Taylor’s Hollywood from the 1987 film Mannequin, only not as lovable or funny.

I was also a little on the fence about the ending of the movie as well as it comes off as more sad and depressing than anything else (even though I don’t think that the people behind it intended for it to feel this way).

Final Thoughts

Is Tammy and the T-Rex a masterpiece? No, it isn’t. Much like it and movies like Howard the Duck (which I also enjoy) you pretty much know what you are going to get going into it and you know that it isn’t going to change your life or anything. It is, however, a fun, sweet movie that is nowhere as terrible as some people make it out to be. It’s a movie about a robot dinosaur who is in love with a human woman, for Pete’s sake, so knowing what it’s about you already know if it’s for you or not. Give it a shot if you have nothing better to do, believe me when I say you could do a lot worse.

You can find Tammy and the T-Rex streaming on Peacock, Tubi, Shudder, Plex, and Vudu Fandango!