Three couples head to the desert to support their friend, Andrew (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.
The first cut of the film was over three hours in length. "It was a long process", according to Beatty. "We had two movies [and] we cut a whole movie out".[1]
The Big Ask premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 1, 2013 under its original title, Teddy Bears,[3] which derived from a nickname given by one of the film's characters to the unusual-looking cacti growing at Joshua Tree.[4] Regarding the title change—a decision imposed by distributor Tribeca Films—star David Krumholtz said, "I think [they] felt the [original] title [didn't] really tell you what the film was ... but the problem is [that people keep asking me] what I have coming out and I say "The Big Ask", and they think I'm saying "The Big Ass". So I keep getting, "You're in a movie called 'The Big Ass?'"[4]
Ask began a limited theatrical release on May 20, 2014. It received a mixed reception from critics, with some feeling it wasted the potential of its unique premise;[5] while others praised the film's writing[3][6] and performances, especially Lynskey's.[7][8] It holds a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews.[9]
