Teddy Bear (2012)

Dennis, a painfully shy 38-year-old bodybuilder who lives with his mother, sets off to Thailand in search of love.

Director:

Mads Matthiesen

Writers:

Mads Matthiesen (screenplay), Martin Zandvliet (screenplay) (as Martin Pieter Zandvliet)

Stars:

Kim Kold, Elsebeth Steentoft, Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard

7 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Kold	...	Dennis
Elsebeth Steentoft	...	Ingrid
Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard	...	Toi
David Winters	...	Scott
Allan Mogensen	...	Bent
Sukunya Mongkol	...	Phat
Barbara Zatler	...	Sasha
Prap Poramabhuti	...	Prap
Sukianya Suwan	...	Aoi
John Winters	...	Jeff (as Jonathan Winters)
Paweena Im-Erb	...	Nok
Songporn Na Bangchang	...	Nuu
Patrick Johnson	...	Lars
Per Otto Bersang Rasmussen	...	Real estate agent (as Per Otto Rasmussen)
Kritsania Promsiriruk	...	Miss May

Storyline

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. Dennis has never been out traveling before and the hectic Pattaya is a huge cultural shock for him. 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.

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Plot Keywords:

thailand | pattaya | 38 year old | bodybuilder | based on short film | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Thai English

Release Date:

22 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

10 timer til Paradis

Filming Locations:

Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,680, 31 August 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$16,135, 2 September 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

SF Studios, Beofilm, Tonemestrene Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Winters is the only American Actor to appear in the film.

User Reviews

Chix Chat on Film Review: Looking for love in all the Thai places.

This was such a venture into the unfamiliar for me, this small window into the life of a gentle giant who happens to be a body builder, living with his mother in Denmark and looking for love. That was a mouth full. I was initially taken aback because I did not expect subtitles, but the film had a good balance of the spoken English versus Danish and Thai, and it shows that around the world the unifying language is English. In all I was glad I did not have to read the whole movie. Dennis (Kim Kold) is so large that when you first take in his entire physique, he is a bit menacing. At one point in the film when he does the muscle flex poses that are part of the body building culture he has this strained smile on his face that is rather creepy. It dawns on me that everyone is faced with some prejudice based on their appearance. A chance encounter with Dennis would make most anyone consider turning to run the other way, but this film shows that he is so affable, that even with all his girth, he is completely dominated by his mother. This film could have easily been entitled Danish Mommy Dearest. The quirkiest part about the relationship between Dennis and his mother Ingrid (Elsebeth Steentoft) is that she is so diminutive that when they interact he hulks over her. As the story progressed and Dennis ventures out to Pattaya Thailand and meets Toi (Lamaiporn Hougaard), we truly get to know who Dennis is. This segment of the film is the reason for the aforementioned English language being a unifier. At home Dennis spoke Danish, he meets Toi who speaks Thai and as they get to know each other they speak English. Who woulda thunk it. I was at no point in the story sure of what recourse Dennis would take. Would he succumb to the wishes of his mother or seek some personal happiness for himself. This film made it quite clear why Dennis was a body builder, and proved if it ain't one thing it's your mother. The story was an unexpected delight, and it shows that no matter what is on the outside or what your background happens to be, that inside everyone is basically the same, no one wants to be alone. I give this charming little story an amber light.