Bad News Bears (2005)

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers (WGA):

Bill Lancaster (screenplay) and
Glenn Ficarra (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Disorganized. Disrespected. Dis summer.

Plot:

A grizzled little league coach (Thornton) tries to turn his team of misfits into champs.

Plot Keywords:

Brawl | Father Son Relationship | Surrogate Father | Young Boy | Lawyer

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Billy Bob Thornton	...	Morris Buttermaker
Greg Kinnear	...	Roy Bullock
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Liz Whitewood
Sammi Kane Kraft	...	Amanda Whurlitzer
Ridge Canipe	...	Toby Whitewood
Brandon Craggs	...	Mike Engelberg
Jeffrey Davies	...	Kelly Leak
Timmy Deters	...	Tanner Boyle
Carlos Estrada	...	Miguel Agilar
Emmanuel Estrada	...	Jose Agilar
Troy Gentile	...	Matthew Hooper
Kenneth 'K.C.' Harris	...	Ahmad Abdul Rahim
Aman Johal	...	Prem Lahiri
Tyler Patrick Jones	...	Timmy Lupus
Jeffrey Tedmori	...	Garo Daragabrigadien

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality and thematic elements.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41880) | Netherlands:MG6 | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-7 | Brazil:16 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Detour Filmproduction

Trivia:

When looking for a local business to sponsor the team, Buttermaker tries a business called "Chico's Bail Bonds" which sponsored the team in the original.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the final scene of the movie the camera pulls back to show the American flag blowing briskly in the wind, but all the trees behind the flag are perfectly still.

Quotes:

Morris Buttermaker: If you get hurt, they can sue my ass so hard, they'll start garnishing my turds.

Movie Connections:

References Field of Dreams (1989)

Soundtrack:

Isn't It Romantic

Rock 'n roll update--not all that different, but dispiriting...

Unskilled, belligerent group of young boys on a losing Little League baseball team get an alcoholic coach who eventually cleans up their act--and his own. Any film-buff well acquainted with the 1976 Michael Ritchie film "The Bad News Bears" will watch this remake in a perpetual state of deprivation. For every new ingredient added (a kid in a wheelchair, Hooters waitresses on the sidelines, a skateband interlude), there's a classic sequence dropped, funny lines omitted, a bracing sense of importance missing, and uncharismatic, non-plussed child actors who walk through their roles colorlessly. Of course, Billy Bob Thornton is a terrific substitute for Walter Matthau, but Matthau didn't carry the original film all by himself, and Thornton isn't fully in-character anyway (he's just breezing through). The whole early morning feel of Southern California Little League is missing, and the urgency of the original is gone, too (those kids had something riding on these games). Director Richard Linklater obviously was fond of the 1976 version, but he knows the notes without hearing the music; he supplies updated comedic touches without seeing the relevancy, and his tone and narrative are doggedly straightforward (except for the strange opening sequence, which immediately gets the picture off on the wrong foot). A sad botch. *1/2 from ****