# Who greenlighted this cinematic shitshow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 1, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703 "2026-05-01T18:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/241 "2026-05-14T09:22:12Z")
He’s been in a stable condition for decades now. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/242 "2026-05-14T09:37:20Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I liked it. It was better than I expected, but not a must-see. > > And Rigby making his “famous cuppa joe” scene was brilliant. Famous java. I saw _Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid_ without knowing the gimmick, that they had edited in clips from actual noir movies. I didn’t know my cinematic history very well back then; thought they just had lookalikes and were parodying the style from movies of the '40s. Since I found out, I don’t think I’ve ever gone back and watched the whole thing straight through, but have seen clips. The way the old dialog interacts with new is pretty clever. > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I go back and forth on this one, which I enjoy a lot. But it’s kind of a shambolic shitshow of a plot and unprofitable, and I am bewildered that it was greenlit, so there you go. I saw _Buckaroo Banzai_ in the theater during its initial run, and didn’t know quite what to make of it. I have a way of describing it that I think I stole from a review; that it’s like watching the twelfth movie in a franchise when you haven’t seen the first eleven. I think that was an intentional part of its humor, to show a larger-than-life hero as someone we’re supposed to already know. You have to just accept the premise and roll with it for the movie to work. I’ve come to appreciate it over the years, and John Lithgow was amazing in it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/243 "2026-05-14T09:46:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Oh he doesn’t get off free. There’s a couple shitshows out there with his name on them. _Phantom of the Paradise_, anyone? Anyone? Present! _Phantom of the Paradise_ wasn’t a shitshow. It had the unfortunate luck to come out at roughly the same time as _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_, and while that one failed in regular showings, but took off at midnight showings, _Phantom_ languished in regular showings. Except, for some strange reason, in Winnipeg, where it was a hit. Anyway, _Phantom_ was a modern retelling of the story of Faust, with heavy doses of _Phantom of the Opera_, which was way over our teenaged heads at the time. But it had catchy songs (by Williams), a hero (Winslow/Phantom), a villain (Swan), and a girl (Phoenix). Plus, a glam rock singer gets electrocuted on stage by a neon arrow. What’s not to like? Given Faust and _The Phantom of the Opera_, it may have been a little too heavy for its intended audience, but it worked for me at the time, and still does. And others too; I recall a Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” episode that had various Phantoms in the opening credits, one of which was the Phantom of the Paradise. If your property is established enough in the public consciousness to be mentioned on the Simpsons, then I’d suggest that you’ve hardly created a shitshow. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/244 "2026-05-14T11:20:08Z")
> [@Mavis\_Topholese](#): > > I was the exact target audience for _Buckaroo Banzai -_ the studio sent a promo team out to our local comic con to hand out Buckaroo Banzai headbands, screen the trailer and generally whip up interest, and they did a great job, at least among my cohort. My wife and her friends were absolutely the target audience for that. They were living in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, which is where Orson Welles’ _War of the Worlds_ radio script re-set the drama, and is, of course, where the Lectroids landed and where Yoyodyne was set up. They all decided to take pseudonyms with the first name “John” and decided that a really weird-looking building was really Yoyodyne. I think that the Yoyodyne plant shown in the film is actually larger than Grovers mill (which is a tiny portion of West Windsor Township, and not a toen in itself). And there are no palm trees in Grovers Mil. There is still, however, still a mill dam and a mill building, and the Grovers Mill company still has its odd-looking water tower that was supposedly mistaken for a Martian tripod back in 1938. They shoulda worked that into the movie, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/245 "2026-05-14T11:33:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > And there are no palm trees in Grovers Mil Let us not forget that Yoyodyne’s Galactronics Division plant is in San Narciso, California. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/246 "2026-05-14T14:35:37Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > then I’d suggest that you’ve hardly created a shitshow. Not picking on you… That’s the theme of this thread, isn’t it? What defines a shitshow? We can’t even agree. One man’s shitshow is another’s _Le grand merde spectacle magnifique!_ ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/247 "2026-05-14T14:47:25Z")
I think some folks are emphasizing _shitshow_ (the movie is a shambles), others are emphasizing _greenlighted_ (the decision to invest money in a film). It’s just how we be here. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/248 "2026-05-14T16:30:32Z")
“Why would you think the best person to play Genghis Khan was John Wayne?”, said everybody who saw **The Conqueror**. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/249 "2026-05-14T17:07:08Z")
**Theodore Rex** Somebody apparently looked at a $33 million budget and said, _“Let’s spend it on Whoopi Goldberg solving crimes with a talking dinosaur.”_ **0% Tomatometer** ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/250 "2026-05-14T17:19:14Z")
My god, we have a winner. This trailer is incredible. [Theodore Rex - Theatrical Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY7gsUL9Xkk) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/251 "2026-05-14T17:58:08Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > _Le grand merde spectacle magnifique!_ Tish! you spoke French! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/252 "2026-05-14T18:00:57Z")
Not the Mama! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/253 "2026-05-14T18:38:33Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > My god, we have a winner. This trailer is incredible. > > [Theodore Rex - Theatrical Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY7gsUL9Xkk) The movie was written and directed by a guy named Jonathan Betuel, who also wrote “The Last Starfighter,” which isn’t a terrible movie at all. He never directed another movie. The mystery to me is how the guy got the funding to make this. He had next to no track record, the idea is preposterous, and by every account I can find, Whoopi Goldberg didn’t want to make it but had signed something that forced her to. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/254 "2026-05-14T18:54:47Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > What defines a shitshow? A film that doesnt make a large profit, that the critics dont like, and the moviegoers dont like is a shitshow. Now sometimes the decision to greenlight a shitshow isnt really a bad idea- at that time- like with Ishtar and Heavens Gate. So not a lot of films make the cut- a shitshow that was a mistake even before filming started. Good examples- > [@pirviii](#): > > I will add the Sylvester Stallone movie _Oscar_. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Now I suggest _Battlefield Earth,_ > [@Gyrate](#): > > My personal contribution to the list: **The Ridiculous Six**. > [@sciurophobic](#): > > Why would you think the best person to play Genghis Khan was John Wayne?”, said everybody who saw **The Conqueror**. > [@Tibby](#): > > Theodore Rex Massive financial failure, the critics hated it, the fans did too, and the idea was fucking stupid. Winner! ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/255 "2026-05-14T19:36:23Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > My god, we have a winner. This trailer is incredible. > > [Theodore Rex - Theatrical Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY7gsUL9Xkk) I remember it as the first movie I was aware of that went straight to video. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/256 "2026-05-14T19:41:23Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Not the Mama! I understood that reference! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/257 "2026-05-14T21:04:36Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I remember it as the first movie I was aware of that went straight to video. At the time, it was the most expensive movie to go straight to video. Whoopi was also forced to appear in the film under threat of a lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/258 "2026-05-15T03:36:50Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > How’s Belushi doing these days? Hasn’t touched a drug in _years_. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/259 "2026-05-15T06:46:41Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > At the time, it was the most expensive movie to go straight to video. Whoopi was also forced to appear in the film under threat of a lawsuit. I was an assistant manager of a video store when it came out. It was so unappealing on the face of it, even the clerks would never pick it as something to watch while we were working. Those guys watched just about everything (we had free rentals). So if it was PG and they didn’t want it on when they were working, I knew it was probably terrible. On top of that, I remember putting up the standee for it and wondering how the hell that movie got made. Lots of movies don’t make any sense, but its premise seemed to not make any sense in a horrible, vacuous way. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703/260 "2026-05-15T15:52:18Z")
I read the Wikipedia “plot” description of Theodore Rex. Even THAT is a shitshow. It namedrops characters with no introduction and no subsequent mention, it is half review/commentary and half plot narrative, and worse, it doesn’t end! The plot description just stops. What happens? Is the bad guy defeated? Is there a second ice age? Does anyone care? Did the wiki editor just give up and pop the tape out of the VCR? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-greenlighted-this-cinematic-shitshow/1029703.md?page=14)