Taming Tammy

Director: Tracy D. Smith
Country: Canada

Introduction: Before the screening, the director came up to the front and gave away cheap sex toys as prizes to a pop quiz. Very amusing. Half of the audience seemed to know her in one way or another, and I'd say that a lot of the audience probably had something to do with the movie. It made for a really great atmosphere.

Taming Tammy, as the name may suggest, is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. However, it's not only a modernization, but also has a twist; the role of Bianca, the younger sister, is now a gay younger brother, Tristan (Ryan Kennedy). Tammy (Sarah-Jane Redmond), the "shrew" is a very feminist sex toy salesperson who seems to scare every man who crosses her path.

I thought this was a pretty funny little flick. The dynamic of the unlikely scenario of Shakespeare's play combined with the new take on the characters really made it interesting, as opposed to "just another adaptation". The actors seemed to be having fun all the time, and this really contributed to the quirky feel of the movie. In addition to this, it also felt very independent and low-budget (which it was), which is something I like to see. It means that the filmmakers probably worked hard to get their story told, and it shows.

I really liked this. Despite being an old formula, it's different enough to be noticed, and is very charming in its own unique way. Recommended for fans of the romantic comedy.

Q&A: Independent filmmakers take note - Taming Tammy was made with a $10,000 (Canadian) cash budget, which is a real feat for a full-length feature (some shorts clock up more than that). According to the Tracy D. Smith, the director (and this is the question I asked her), the reason they had the 42 (yes, 42) executive producers was that it really helped them finance the film; each executive producer donated around $200-500 each, meaning that no one person had to dig deep into their pockets to make the film possible. Furthermore, the $10,000 went mostly towards insurance and catering, with all of the cast and crew working for free. The moral of the story is that it really helps to have connections.

The movie was preceded by a short film.

Ou est Maurice?
Director: Matthew Rankin, Alek Rzeszowski
Country: Canada

A funny black and white short about a Parisian girl. I wasn't really quite sure what it was about, although I got the feeling that it was a light-hearted take on a musical melodrama. I found it quite amusing.