'Bad News Bears': Major-league disappointment
by Chris Garcia
It's hard to figure why people would remake one of the most influential movies of the past 30 years and think audiences would find it fresh and astonishing. The 1976 original "The Bad News Bears" spawned countless underdog sports movies, from "The Mighty Ducks" to "Kicking & Screaming," making the film shorthand for a genre. Since its release, we have been fatigued by a million copycats and knockoffs. Now we get a flatout remake of the source just in time for nothing in particular.
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Grizzled former professional baseball player Morris Buttermaker is recruited to coach the Bears, a woefully inept Little League team. He must find a way to drive this gang of 12 misfits to a championship against their hated rivals.
Paramount Pictures
'Bad News Bears'
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Timmy Deters, Sammi Kane Kraft
Run time: 111 minutes
Release date: July 22, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality and thematic elements.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: C-
"Most of the humor comes from trying to be as raunchy as possible. True, the 1976 picture wasn't exactly angelic, but the stuff here is cruder, cheaper, more obvious."
Austin American-Statesman: 2 of 5 stars
"...a shoddy and superfluous copy."
Middletown Journal: B+
"The movie's home run is the casting of Thornton, who at least matches Walter Matthau's portrayal by giving Buttermaker the same world-weary crustiness that made him so funny in Bad Santa."
The Palm Beach Post: C+
"It would really help your enjoyment of this movie if you never saw the earlier one."
The Palm Beach Post "Flick Chick"
"Weird. Rude. Cute. Just like your kid."
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