Tammy and the T-Rex

I remember seeing 1994's Tammy and the T-Rex on basic cable in the late 90's.  It was alright.  Fast-forward twenty years and it's a cult classic...how did that happen?  I was alive during those intermediary temporals.  I was on all of the message boards.  I don't recall petitions to have this rinky-dink rom-com reissued onto Blu-ray.  No one quoted Dr. Wachenstein or asked for tips on how to complete their Helga cosplay.  You don't even know who those characters are, do you?  I didn't, and yet, I am told that Michelle and the Mamenchisaurus is a nostalgic blast from my childhood.  Eh, I'll give it this much; Denise Richards is crazy hot in her starring debut.  NOTE TO SELF: Edit a fucking dinosaur into Wild Things.

Reading about the film's production history, it's glaring that a picture analogous to Tammy would never splash the big screen in the modern day.  It was yielded for a meager million.  Director Stewart Raffill had access to a fully-functioning animatronic dinosaur before a line of the script was written.  Make no mistake, dearhearts; this kitschy commotion is the backwash of b-movie magic.  I want to be clear about something.  I derided 2019's Scare Package for its ham-fisted approach to comedy.  Here, the cackles are congenital.  They are basted into the root concept so that you know where you're heading.  The tone is consistent throughout, and yes, that makes a difference (to me anyway).

If it's not obvious, I had fun with this viewing of Amelia and the Allosaurus.  I was willing to play ball, so to speak.  That doesn't mean that every punch lands.  There are sundry one-liners that are hideously outdated.  The gay jokes...I mean, I won't cry offense, but my God, they're about as funny as the current state of Paul Walker's career.  See?  Not funny.  The plot holes are baffling.  It's hard to mount any legitimate critical attack on narrative detours, seeing as how this is a movie where a girl performs a striptease for a brain casserole (you had to be there).  You pick your battles, y'know?

The special effects range from resourceful to embarrassing.  Again, how hypercritical can you be?  It comes down to how much you enjoyed the regalement at hand.  Personally, I'd give my "handicapped parking" placard of approval to Tammy and the T-Rex.  It's a barrelling watch, most of the laughs serve their purpose, and you get the feeling that the cast actually wants to be there.  A cult classic?  Sorry, but no.  Conversely, this is a successful merger between farcical camp and gore-cushioned science fiction.  Speaking of which, the decapitations are sweet up in dis (sic) prehistoric bitch!  Now that I've written the worst sentence of all time, I'm going to end this review.