Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002)
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0% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
43% of users liked it
(1,137 ratings)
Actor and comedian Harry Shearer makes his directorial debut with this mock documentary about the slightly sordid pastimes of some of America's wealthiest and most powerful men. Zambesi Glen is a private resort in Northern California whose highly exclusive membership rolls includes high-echelon… More Actor and comedian Harry Shearer makes his directorial debut with this mock documentary about the slightly sordid pastimes of some of America's wealthiest and most powerful men. Zambesi Glen is a private resort in Northern California whose highly exclusive membership rolls includes high-echelon politicians, leaders of America's military, owners of the nation's biggest corporations, renowned and respected political thinkers, and a handful of celebrity guests; the club's membership is overwhelmingly white and exclusively male. Once a year, Zambesi Glen holds a week-long retreat for its members, and while this gathering features the occasional group discussion of political and economic issues, most of the week is devoted to swilling booze, staging comic skits, performing odd rituals not out of place at a Boy Scout camp, doing business with the prostitutes imported for the festivities, and generally carousing like frat boys on a bender. However, not all is well in this playground for the power elite; feminist groups are protesting Zambesi Glen's "men only" membership policy, and far more embarrassing, a television reporter has found a way to smuggle cameras into the well-guarded resort, giving the world a less than flattering look at what America's leadership likes to do for a good time. The revelers at Zambesi Glen are played by a top-shelf comic cast, including Michael McKean, George Wendt, Henry Gibson, Kenneth Mars, Fred Willard, Howard Hessman, and Bob Einstein; among the female interlopers are Morgan Fairchild, Joyce Hyser, and Ming-Na. Teddy Bears' Picnic was inspired by Harry Shearer's visit as a guest to Bohemian Grove, the real-life men's-only retreat whose members are said to include George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Dick Cheney, Malcolm Forbes, David Rockefeller, Casper W. Weinberger, and William F. Buckley, though the film's opening credits humorously disavows any resemblance between Zambesi Glen and Bohemian Grove. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Harry Shearer
- Written By
- Harry Shearer
- Genres
- Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Mar 29, 2002 Wide
- Studio
- Visionbox Media
Critic Reviews
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Scott Foundas, Variety
Pic lacks the development needed for a full-length feature and, following a hilarious opening sequence, it becomes tiresomely one-note.
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Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Most of the film feels conceived and shot on the fly -- like between lunch breaks for Shearer's radio show and his Simpson voice-overs.
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Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The satire is unfocused, while the story goes nowhere.
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Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
It is supremely unfunny and unentertaining to watch middle-age and older men drink to excess, piss on trees, b.s. one another and put on a show in drag.
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Lou Lumenick, New York Post
A beyond-lame satire, Teddy Bears' Picnic ranks among the most pitiful directing debuts by an esteemed writer-actor.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Morgan Fairchild
as Courtney Vandermint
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Henry Gibson
as Clifford Sloane
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Howard Hesseman
as Ted Frye
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Peter Marshall
as Himself
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John O'Hurley
as Earle Hansen
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Kurtwood Smith
as William Easler
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Alan Thicke
as Himself
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George Wendt
as General Edison "Pete" Gerberding
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Fred Willard
as Senator Roger Dickey
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Michael McKean
as Porterfield "Porty" Pendleton
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Harry Shearer
as Joey Lavin
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Ming-Na Wen
as Katy Woo
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John Michael Higgins
as Whit Summers
