Richard Linklater takes the remake route with The Bad News Bears (a film that has been remade in spirit more than any other.)  Certainly more cuddly and PC than the original, this take is nevertheless saved by a pitch-perfect performance from Billy Bob Thorton, who is fast becoming the king of ‘lovable bastard’ roles.  Linklater resisted the urge to put any kind of twist or kitsch in his version, which faithfully follows the little league careers of a group of ne’er do wells and losers who are cajoled, cat called, and coerced into near greatness by their booze-hound coach (Thorton).  A feel good, if forgettable, film, Bad News Bears is at least good enough to deliver the laughs at a brisk pace, with many a laugh-out-loud moment.  Maybe not the best kids movie in the world, but family’s should enjoy it’s easy (and kinda skeezy) charm.

The Bad News Bears
3 Stars

Since 1976, nearly every kids-themed sports film (and the not so kid-themed Slap Shot) has been a take on cynical and wonderful Bad News Bears.  Let’s see: rag tag group of non-atheletes mentored by a curmudgeonly rascal with a past rise up against the odds with the help of a couple of ringers and sheer gumption.  Sound familiar?  You bet it does.  So when Richard Linklater announced his next mainstream project was a remake of the Bad News Bears, the most obvious question was ‘what’s the point?’.  After all, what ground was there left to cover after The Bad News Bears (1976), The Bad News Bears: Breaking Training (1979), and the Tony Curtis fueled Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978)?  Well, not much at all, to tell the truth.

ZolarCzakl’s Take:

So director Richard Linklater has done another kids movie and get this, it’s another in a slew of remakes that Hollywood’s been pumping out lately. Fortunately for those of us who actually give a crap about what we watch, this remake of Bad News Bears is actually one of the better ones.
You all know the story (even if you didn’t see the original, trust me, you know the story): a ragtag group of kids that have absoutely zero skill on the baseball field come together under the tutlage of a craggy, drunk coach who at first doesn’t care but later learns the true meaning of something or other while the kids learn to play and most importantly, to love or something like that.
What makes this movie work, though, is the talent of Billy Bob Thornton. He, of course, plays the coach and has a million crass, sarcastic lines which are all actually very funny. Billy Bob has oodles of charisma and plays the ‘gruff guy with a heart of gold’ thing very well. In fact, I can’t really imagine any other actor these days pulling it off with quite the same skill and ease. He really does carry the entire film.
The kids, however, aren’t really all that special. Their lines generally aren’t very funny and their crass insults don’t really stand up to the humor that was written for Billy Bob. I don’t really see any of these kids breaking out and becoming great acting sensations, but I guess one never knows. That really isn’t apparent with any of the kids in this movie. I was also a bit disappointed with Greg Kinnear in this one. His character is the coach on the main opposing team and of course, he plays it as a real tight-ass. That’s really all you can say about it. Nothing great, just tight-ass. Well, maybe that’s all he can really do.

So let’s tick off that checklist: the story is stock, the writing is uneven, the characters sometimes do things that it seems they wouldn’t really do, and the kids aren’t that great. However, the movie was entertaining. Maybe Wedding Crashers blew a circuit in my brain. All I know is that I laughed, I was entertained, and I didn’t leave the theater feeling cheated (this would be the perfect opportunity to put in another slam at Land of the Dead, but… oh! Too late!).
I almost forgot, there was also some racism, sexism, and lots of cursing by little kids in Bad News Bears. And there really isn’t much of a moral. Really, what more could you want for a good, dumb summer movie? Go see it. Why the hell not?

Aaron’s Take:

Linklater proved he’s got a deft touch with mainstream comedies centered around losers (School of Rock and Waking Life. Oh wait, Waking Life wasn’t meant to be a comedy) so on the surface The Bad News Bears seems like a good fit for his talents.  But while we’re treated to profanity after profanity, what remains of this film is actually far, far less cynical or ballsy than the 1976 original.  The original film ended with the Bears losing, but instead of a ‘we learned how to be a team’ lesson the original team attacks the winning team in a free for all brawl. 

Sure, the kids swear a lot and get in fights, but where’s the beer swilling, chain smoking rebellion of Jackie Haley?  This time around Kelly Leak is played by a much more scrubbed and modelesque Jeff Davies, who looks disconcertingly similar to the middle chick from Hanson.  Davies only outcast status comes from his attempt at glowering and the fact that he rides a motorbike.  In this day in age, that’s conformity not rebellion.  Sammi Kraft has the unenviable task of filling Tatum O’Neal’s shoes as ace pitcher Amanda Wurlitzer, but while she doesn’t posess O’Neal’s sheer presence, Kraft does a passable job holding her own against Billy Bob Thorton. 

Speaking of Thorton, I must agree with my co-hort Tim that Thorton is the lynchpin of this film.  His easy take on the never-was coach who gets by on sleazy charm and drunken bravado just lights up the film with each crass and careless line.  As Bad Santa proved, Thorton has a a knack for making you like despicable characters, and Coach Buttermaker is no exception.  Thankfully he’s in nearly every single scene in the film, otherwise it’d be left to the barely sketched out remains of the cast.  Similarly to School of Rock, not much thought is put in to the other characters beyond their gimmick (One’s in a wheelchair!  One’s a spaz! One’s a nerd! One’s fat! One’s a burgeoning sociopath!), so once the film starts focusing on the team itself, the whole endeavor loses a little bit of steam.

But to be honest, I laughed quite a bit during Bad News Bears, both due to Thorton’s perfect delivery and the general tone of the film.  I’ll agree that The Bad News Bears is easily at the top of the list of recent remakes, but to be honest the bar ain’t set that high. 

More satisfying than this Spring’s Kicking & Screaming, and infinitely more entertaining than any entry in the Mighty Ducks franchise, The Bad News Bears should provide you would some good laughs and honest enjoyment even without the acerbic charm of the original.

There are some changes here, the film is much more focused on the coach than the kids, but for the most part it stays true to the spirit of the original. So how is it? I loved Bad Santa and I’m a huge Linklater fan, but they were also saddled with a script which doesn’t have much to it; I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was kind of like a good piece of chewing gum. I enjoyed the flavor while it lasted, but when it was over I spit it out and moved on to find something to eat that would sustain me.

Bad News Bears
2 Stars

Though I enjoyed it, I’m not a huge fan of the original Bad News Bears.  So when I heard Billy Bob was going to star in a remake my initial response was—Why? There are some changes here, the film is much more focused on the coach than the kids, but for the most part it stays true to the spirit of the original. So how is it? I loved Bad Santa and I’m a huge Linklater fan, but they were also saddled with a script which doesn’t have much to it; I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was kind of like a good piece of chewing gum. I enjoyed the flavor while it lasted, but when it was over I spit it out and moved on to find something to eat that would sustain me.

Not too bad

Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton) is a drunken foul mouthed exterminator in Sun Valley.  Once, many years ago, he pitched two-thirds of an inning in the major leagues; this was by far the high point of his life.  Now he spends most of his time drinking, smoking, cussing, and dating local strippers.  For some extra cash he takes on the job of coach for a group of kids that were held out of the league but due to the zealousness of an one of the mothers (Marcia Gay Harden) have formed their own team.  The group includes a kid in a wheelchair, two twins who speak only Spanish, and a group that doesn’t know the difference between a baseball and a motzo ball.  So Buttermaker, when he’s not getting drunk and passing out on the pitcher’s mound, tries to help these kids learn to play and beat the favorites to win the championship who are coached by overbearing control freak Bullock (Greg Kinnear).  Our coach recruits his former step-daughter (Sammi Kraft) and local bad boy (Jeff Davies) to help round out his team.  You can probably guess what happens from here.

The film takes a few shots at those who coach and overbearing parents, but I would have preferred more.  Aside from the ringers Thornton gets to improve his team, most of the kids are interchangeable and you don’t get much of a feel for them.  You get a fat kid, a black kid, a ruffian, a wimp, a geek, a cripple, and so on, but they never really develop into any more than these threadbare generic characters.  The film spends most of its time on Thornton’s character.  This gives us most of the films funny moments, but you also tend to forget about half the kids on the team because they don’t get much camera time.  Nor is any foundation is laid to help you understand why these kids want to play baseball in the first place, especially since it seems many of them have never played in the past.  As for Thornton, his mood swings from mean spirited drunk to foolish but good hearted guy don’t always come off here; I guess the studio was afraid of him coming off as too mean or cruel.  Finally, while the film is funny and amusing it is mostly cheap laughs and crude humor that you can enjoy once, but is easily forgettable and would get old after a couple of viewings.

For me the remake has the same effect as the original.  You will laugh and enjoy it for what it is and then walk out of the movie and completely forget it.  While diverting and amusing there are no bust gut laughs or great scenes to discuss after the credits roll.  Was it okay, yeah.  Could it have been better, definitely.  You always are waiting for Thornton to go a step farther, but the studio’s mandatory PG-13 rating never lets him truly explore the character’s depth and depravity.  I would have much preferred a sequel to Bad Santa rather than try to balance Thornton being an ass and a good hearted guy at the same time, and allow the humor to go all out rather than being restrained at times.  If you are just looking for some fun foul mouthed entertainment for a couple of hours this summer you will probably enjoy yourself.  Just don’t expect more.