The Country Bears

Motivated solely by corporate greed, Disney is now recycling its own outdated, Chuck E. Cheese-quality theme park attraction Country Bear Jamboree as a trite, cliché-packed embarrassment of a feature film. Stealing elements of The Blues Brothers (getting the band back together for a charity concert) and Almost Famous (tour bus road trip with a kid in tow) for its rough outline of a plot, the flick follows country-rock singing animatronic grizzlies whose "performances," while vacant, are still somehow less mechanical than those of their human costars. A choppy, uncreative, who-cares-it's-just-a-kids-movie movie, The Country Bears does little to establish its characters (knowing which bear is which depends entirely on their clothing) or their motives (why did the band break up in the first place?) while relying heavily on cameos (Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Elton John, Brian Setzer, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt) and hollow songs that evaporate from your memory before the closing credits. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Peter Hastings and bear costars Ted and Zeb, the 14-minute “Out of the Woods” satirical “mockumentary,” a “Video Mix Master Jamboree” make-your-own music-video feature, the 23-minute ABC special “The Country Bears Concert for America” hosted by Downtown Julie Brown, a sing-along viewing option (with automatic popup screen lyrics), and the music video “The Kid in You” by Krystal Marie Harris. Bottom line: an extensive extras package for a bear-ly tolerable film.] (R. Blackwelder)