The Big Ask
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Thomas Beatty Rebecca Fishman
Written by	Thomas Beatty
Produced by	Thomas Beatty Jennifer Westin
Starring	Gillian Jacobs Zachary Knighton David Krumholtz Melanie Lynskey Ahna O'Reilly Jason Ritter Dale Dickey French Stewart Ned Beatty
Cinematography	Aaron Kovalchik
Edited by	Eric Potter
Music by	Julian Wass
Production companies	Covert Productions Sparkhouse Media
Distributed by	Tribeca Film
Release dates	June 1, 2013 (2013-06-01) (SIFF) May 20, 2014 (2014-05-20) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Big Ask (originally titled Teddy Bears) is a 2013 American comedy drama film directed by Thomas Beatty and Rebecca Fishman. It stars Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Knighton, David Krumholtz, Melanie Lynskey, Ahna O'Reilly, and Jason Ritter. The film was released theatrically on May 20, 2014.

Synopsis

Three couples head to the desert to support their friend (Krumholtz) after the death of his mother, but there's fallout amidst the group when his intentions become clear: he wants to sleep with each of his best friends’ girlfriends—at the same time.

Cast

• Gillian Jacobs as Emily
• Zachary Knighton as Dave
• David Krumholtz as Andrew
• Melanie Lynskey as Hannah
• Ahna O'Reilly as Zoe
• Jason Ritter as Owen
• Dale Dickey as Lori
• French Stewart as Rich
• Ned Beatty as Old Man Carl

Release

The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 1, 2013,^[1] under its original title. It began a limited theatrical release on May 20, 2014.

Reception

The Big Ask has a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[2] Some critics felt that the film wasted the potential of its unusual premise,^[3] but others praised the writing^[1][4] and performances, particularly by Lynskey.^[5][6]