Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Mads Matthiesen
Cast
Kim Kold,
Elsebeth Steentoft,
Lamaiporn Hougaard,
David Winters,
Allan Mogensen,
Patrick Johnson
Genre
Romance,
Drama,
Comedy
The 38-year-old bodybuilder Dennis would really like to find true love. He has never had a girlfriend and lives alone with his mother in a suburb of Copenhagen. When his uncle marries a girl from Thailand, Dennis decides to try his own luck on a trip to Pattaya, as it seems that love is easier to find in Thailand. He knows that his mother would never accept another woman in his life, so he lies and tells her that he is going to Germany. The intrusive Thai girls give big bruises to Dennis' naive picture of what love should be like, and he is about to lose hope when he unexpectedly meets the Thai woman Toi.
IndieWire by Eric Kohn
A gigantic physique hides the fragile man beneath and Matthiesen ably follows the journey of that persona as it tunnels through mounds of muscle to reach the surface. In essence, the lion finds his courage.
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Kold single-handedly carries the film, with his quietly powerful portrayal of a gentle soul in a giant's body.
Time Out by David Fear
It's only a slight exaggeration to say Kold gives what may be the performance of the year - one that not only offsets the movie's momentary dips into self-conscious quirkiness but adds a genuine sweetness to the proceedings. Forget the muscles; he brings the heart and soul.
New York Post
This wispy story is distinguished by its sweetness of spirit, and it comes straight from Kold.
The A.V. Club by Noel Murray
There's nothing surprising about the arc of Kold's story, but Matthiesen and his cast have created a believable space, and that ultimately helps give Teddy Bear the tension of a fine suspense film once Kold sits down across the kitchen table from Steentoft to speak his mind at last.
New York Post by Farran Smith Nehme
This wispy story is distinguished by its sweetness of spirit, and it comes straight from Kold.
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
Mr. Matthiesen has a way of consistently and gently upending expectations, sometimes with humor.
Village Voice by Nick Pinkerton
These self-imposed limitations prevent Teddy Bear from having the breadth of a great work, but they give it the coherence of a good tale, simply told.
Slant Magazine by Elise Nakhnikian
From its title to its closing caress, Mads Matthiesen's film skates perilously close to the cliff's edge of mawkish sentiment.
Variety by Dennis Harvey
The low-key drama is well crafted and likable as far as it goes, but there's not enough narrative impetus or depth to maintain more than passing viewer interest.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...