Teresa's Tattoo (1994)

Director:

Julie Cypher

Writers:

Samuel Benedict (story)
Marc Cushman (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

6 April 1995 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Mathematician Teresa just wanted to study during the College spring break. But her friends, who want her to live a little...

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Satire | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Cast

Matt Adler	...	Titus
C. Thomas Howell	...	Carl
Nancy McKeon	...	Sara
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Wheeler
Casey Siemaszko	...	Michael
Brian Davila	...	Elvis
Jonathan Silverman	...	Rick
Melissa Etheridge	...	Hooker
Adrienne Shelly	...	Teresa / Gloria
Diedrich Bader	...	Higgins
Anthony Clark	...	Mooney
Eric Gilliland	...	Police Officer
Lisa M. Hansen	...	Hooker with Bird
Tippi Hedren	...	Evelyn Hill
k.d. lang	...	Michelle

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cinetel Films

Soundtrack:

I Feel You

Cashed In Some Favors

Teresa's Tattoo was Julie Cypher's second and last effort as a director we can all hope. My guess is that Lou Diamond Phillips, her husband at the time must have cashed in a bunch of favors from his Hollywood friends to get his wife this gig as a feature director. Her first effort was a short back in 1990.

A whole lot of people who came to prominence in the Eighties were gathered together for this inept comedy about a pair of doppleganger girls, one of whom dies while in the custody of kidnappers. Seems as though she's wearing earrings that contain holograph messages with data on the space program. Though who might have wanted it in 1995 with the Cold War over is beyond me.

Anyway poor Adrienne Shelley who plays the dead original kidnap victim and her lookalike who some gangsters hired by the Feds (yes, you read that right)grab instead because they think this is a ransom snatch proves a good deal smarter than any of the people trying to kidnap or rescue her. She's a math major, what would you expect?

This film is like a class reunion, look at the cast members, C. Thomas Howell, Casey Siemaszko, Nancy McKeon, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Adler, Joe Pantoliano, all came up about ten years earlier. Even Kiefer Sutherland has an unbilled part as a deputy sheriff and he could certainly be considered a contemporary.

The jokes fall flatter than Dorothy Gale's Kansas plains, everyone looks pained, some like Lou Diamond Phillips who know they're in a gobble gobble contest make up for it by overacting outrageously. Lou looked like he was in dress rehearsal for the part he had in The Big Hit which was a much funnier film.

Kiefer Sutherland was the smartest guy in the bunch, he didn't take any billing for this.