Just so...so bad

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Regardless of its faults, I found this to be a fun movie. The music was not necessarily my taste, but it was all well-done.There was a silly plot, and human characters that, with a few exceptions were too moronic to care about. The idiot cops, though, were a lot of fun and I particularly liked Chill Mitchell in what had to be one of his last roles without a wheelchair. Queen Latifah gave a brief but enjoyable performance as a bartender who may have also run the place; too bad she didn't sing too.The actors giving voice to the bears were better than most of the people playing people. True, most of the writing was still silly. Haley Joel Osment did a good job considering the material.I don't really care for Bonnie Raitt or Don Henley as singers, but I realized immediately what was going on when a male bear and female bear sang together and then they showed those two famous people together. The joke about The Eagles was great; I do like some of their music.I didn't recognize Elton John, but someone commented that he looked like Elton John. It turned out to be true, and one of his songs was used too.Jennifer Paige did a good job as a singing waitress and a silly scene reminiscent of "Glee". Not my taste musically, but it was well done. Brian Setzer cam closer to what I like in a duel with Zeb. Ordinarily I don't like rock and roll but I'll make an exception for Brian Setzer.And of course the bears themselves are quite talented. Not quite country, but a lot of what's on so-called country radio isn't. Some of the music was "real country", though.And I really did care about whether the Country Bear Hall would be saved. It's a nice building, in the sense of being historic.I don't recall any offensive content, if you don't mind one use of the F-word or the sound. I do mean the F-word that kids use, not the other one.It's a silly but fun movie.

..is that it contains the indelible sight of Christopher Walken performing "The 1812 Overture" via armpit farts — yes, you read that right — for a captive audience of bipedal, talking redneck bears. And Walken is joined in this bit of lysergic lunacy by no less than Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Alex Rocco, Willie Nelson (!!!) Wyclef jean and Brian Setzer, so it's simply got one brain-trampling moment after another. Yeah, I know it's a kid's film, but what kids were clamoring to see this? Was it made as a tax write-off? But even with those burning questions in mind, it's certainly a truly bad movie, but I sat through it in a state of greatly amused slack-jawed disbelief, so I say see it. Preferably girded with a couple of sixers of beer.

The Country Bears is a truly unique movie, and it can be a very pleasant experience watching it, for those with an open mind. The entire movie is based on the premise that bears co-exist with humans - they are simply like another race of people. From numerous other reviews I have read of this movie, it seems many people are offended by this simple premise. Perhaps it is insulting to them, or maybe they just can't deal with things out of the ordinary such as this. It's definitely a shame, as this movie is actually a rare gem, complete with lovable characters, fun music, and an engaging and heartwarming plot.The movie begins showing us the farewell performance of a group called "The Country Bears". They were once apparently very famous, but have now all but disappeared. Beary Barrington, a huge fan, feeling displaced from his family because he feels 'different', leaves home and travels to Country Bear Hall, hoping to find a place where he fits in. He soon finds Country Bear Hall is soon to be demolished, due to six years of missed payments by it's caretaker, Henry. Beary's solution is to get the band back together to save Country Bear Hall.What follows is an enjoyable romp as we meet each of the 4 unique band members and their interesting circumstances. Fred is big softy who works as a security guard, and takes part in a performance of a very modern song titled "The Kid in You", which perhaps may not appeal to everyone. Zeb is ultimately an alcoholic, although his liquor of choice is honey. To escape from his debt with the bar, he performs in a musical duel, which is a lot of fun. Next we meet Tennessee, who is heartbroken over losing his one love Trixie. He just makes you want to give him a huge hug every time he's on screen. Finally we meet Ted, who's massive ego nearly stops the bears from coming together again. Two bumbling cops provide lots of humour, as does the hilarious bear character Big Al.Characters are definitely the highlight of this film. Each of the bears are different, and watching their behaviour is so refreshing. They make you want to be right there on the tour bus with them. The ending of the movie is perfect, but it is a strangely sad feeling to have to leave the characters and come back to reality.My thoughts of this movie are the complete opposite to the majority of other reviews out there. Ebert's review suggests to me that he barely even paid any attention to the movie - he doesn't seem to understand why Reed Thimple would want to destroy Country Bear Hall, even though it was clearly explained in the movie. He also says that certain artists such as Bonnie Raitt talk about how The Country Bears influenced them, and while this is true for some artists, Bonnie Raitt does no such thing, nor does Elton John. Why critics couldn't appreciate this film is beyond me. It has strong messages of what family is, and that it's OK to be different. It's just fantastic, and deserves much more recognition than it has. We need more movies like this, but unfortunately the poor reception of this movie will mean Disney avoids making movies like this in the future.Do yourself a favour; rent this movie, or even buy it. Don't question why it's about singing bears, otherwise you're missing the point of the movie. Just enjoy the originality, enjoy the great music, laugh at the comedy, and leave the movie with a shining feeling that not many movies these days can give you.

I'd never heard of the Country Bears before - even the Disney attraction - and picked up the DVD for half price as a 'stocking filler' for my 8-year-old. I was pleasantly surprised - it's great to see something so innocent and good hearted that isn't packed with the sort of mawkish sentimentality that often finds its way into kids' films. The bears are the stars of the show, with some excellent costume puppetry and some great characters (my favourite is Zeb, who plays a mean fiddle). The story is a simple one, and you know how it's going to end. And I usually hate country music, but enjoyed the rocky tunes that punctuate the movie. This is the sort of thing that will keep most kids amused for an hour and a half - and any adult who can let their inner child out for a bit will get a kick out of it too. I'd be happy to see more of the Country Bears...