Theodore Rex (film)

Theodore Rex, also known as T. Rex,[4][5] is a 1996[6] buddy cop science-fiction family film written and directed by Jonathan Betuel and starring Whoopi Goldberg. Though originally intended for theatrical release, the film went direct-to-video, and consequently became the most expensive direct-to-video film ever made at the time of its release.[7][8][9]

For the 2001 biography of Theodore Roosevelt, see Theodore Rex (book).
Theodore Rex
Theodore Rex Canadian video poster
Directed byJonathan Betuel
Produced byRichard Gilbert Abramson
Sue Baden-Powell
Written byJonathan Betuel
StarringWhoopi Goldberg
Armin Mueller-Stahl
Juliet Landau
Richard Roundtree
Music byRobert Folk
CinematographyDavid Tattersall
Edited bySteve Mirkovich
Rick Shaine
Production
company
New Line Cinema
J&M Entertainment
Shooting Star Entertainment
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • July 2, 1996 (1996-07-02)
[1]
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$33.5 million[2][3]

The film was not well-received,[5][10] and saw Whoopi Goldberg being nominated for Worst Actress at the 1996 Golden Raspberry Awards.[11] It is the first direct-to-video movie to receive any sort of Razzie nomination.[12]

Plot

In an alternate futuristic society where humans and anthropomorphic dinosaurs co-exist, a tough police detective named Katie Coltraine (Whoopi Goldberg) is paired with an anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus named Theodore Rex (George Newbern) to find the killer of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals leading them to a ruthless billionaire bent on killing off mankind by creating a new ice age.

Cast

Live action

Voice cast

Puppeteers

Reception

Theodore Rex received negative reviews from critics and audiences. It received an approval rating of 0% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on five reviews.[13] Variety magazine gave the film a negative review, saying, "This is one T. rex that won’t be spared the tar pits."[14] William Thomas of Empire Magazine gave the film a one out of five stars and said, "Steer Clear".[15]

In a 2015 interview with the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Goldberg stated that this is the only film she regrets ever having done: "Don't ask me why I did it, I didn't want to", she said.[16]

Goldberg lawsuit

Though Whoopi Goldberg had made a verbal agreement to star in the film in October 1992,[6] she attempted to back out. Abramson filed a US$20 million lawsuit against Goldberg, which was settled quickly. Goldberg agreed to star in the film for $7 million,[2] $2 million more than the amount originally agreed upon.[7]

One of the attorneys on the case described this as being similar to the legal battle of Kim Basinger when she backed out of the film Boxing Helena.[7]

Distribution

The film was originally intended for theatrical release in North America; New Line Cinema initially wanted to release it to coincide with Goldberg's hosting stint at the Academy Awards that year.[6] New Line ultimately decided that it was in their best interests to release the film direct-to-video. This decision came as a result of failed test screenings in Las Vegas, Memphis, Portland, Maine and Providence.[7][17] The film's $33.5 million budget made it the most expensive direct-to-video release at that time.[7]

The international distributors to whom New Line had pre-sold the rights to the film adopted a different release strategy by distributing theatrically in every country except the United States and Italy.[6]

References
  1. Blowen, Michael (1996-06-30). "Mel Brooks' 'Dracula' is just not batty enough; THE MOVIE SECTION / Video Watch". The Boston Globe. p. B31.
  2. Love, Dennis (1996-04-04). "'Rex' Headed for Extinction?". People. UPI Newswire.
  3. Dutka, Elaine (1996-04-11). "Whoopi's Dino Disaster; Test Audiences Reject $ 33.5 Million Family Comedy". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 33.
  4. "Filming in the U.S.". Daily Variety. 1994-11-18.
  5. Griffin, Gil (1997-10-23). "Reading Whoopi Goldberg like a 'Book'". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E-1.
  6. Blowen, Michael (1996-06-30). "'Rex': Extinct on the Big Screen". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  7. Cox, Dan (1996-04-08). "New Line's dino pic extinct from bigscreen". Daily Variety. p. 9.
  8. Hubert, Andrea (2008-06-14). "The incredible sulk". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  9. Wilkinson, Jack (1996-07-27). "What's new on the home video scene". United Press International.
  10. Meyers, Randy (1999-02-02). "Direct hits: Lucrative video arena attracting first-run, first-rate". Contra Costa Times.
  11. Scott, Vernon (1997-01-23). "The Hollywood Reporter". UPI Newswire.
  12. Baldock, Luke Ryan (9 August 2012). "10 Terrible Dinosaur Films That Should Be Extinct!". thehollywoodnews.com.
  13. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/theodore_rex
  14. https://www.variety.com/1996/film/reviews/theodore-rex-1200446230/amp/
  15. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/theodore-rex-review/
  16. "'Não há muito espaço para negros por aí', diz Whoopi Goldberg – 25/02/2015 – Ilustrada – Folha de S.Paulo". uol.com.br.
  17. Klady, Leonard (1996-07-01). "Theodore Rex". Daily Variety. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
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