This week, YSM tackles the truly bizarre buddy cop/talking dinosaur movie Theodore Rex. Join us as we wonder whether writer/director Jonathan Betuel got an uncredited plot assist from his four-year-old nephew Tommy and whether Theodore Rex is the most annoying 90s “poochie” protagonist we’ve ever covered.
In the near-future, human-sized dinosaurs have been brought back by an eccentric German scientist just to see if he can. Now, the scientist is planning to start another ice age in order to bring in a new society. In the wake of a dino-murder, police officer/publicity stunt diversity hire Theodore Rex is given permission to investigate, along with new partner Katie Coltrane (Goldberg), a tough cop with computer enhancements. Together, they deal with the evil scientist and his henchmen “Edge,” (Stephen McHattie), “Spinner,” (Bud Cort), and “The Toymaker” (Peter Kwong).
Some Notes:
- Drinking game guaranteed to kill you: drink when Theodore Rex knocks something over with his tail.
- Jonathan Betuel never wrote/directed anything after this, apparently blaming the studio for improperly marketing the film.
- ABC canceled the hit(?) show Dinosaurs in 1994. This film was released in 1995. “You’re not just going to throw all those costumes away, are you?” –costume designer, Theodore Rex.
- Theo Rex claims to be a “recovering carnivore,” as though this was a choice he made and not a physical fact of nature that his dino body needs to eat animal flesh to survive. Instead, he appears to subsist mostly on cookies.
- We sincerely hope that our comments about the gay and/or drag queen dinosaur community do not offend any alternative lifestyle dinosaurs that may be listening.
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