Bad News Bears (2005)

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

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Bill Lancaster (screenplay), Glenn Ficarra (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Morris Buttermaker, an alcoholic pest removal worker and former professional baseball player (for a very short time), is recruited to coach and train a failing baseball team of 12-year-olds which is about to be thrown out of the league.

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Plot Keywords:

team | coach | baseball | alcoholic | little league | 

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Taglines:

Baseball has rules. Meet the exceptions.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los osos de la mala suerte

Filming Locations:

Skatelab Skatepark, 4226 Valley Fair St, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,382,472, 24 July 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$32,868,349

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,252,847

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Media Talent Group, Detour Filmproduction

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the trailer, the baseball bat with the film's title on it says, "Est. 1976", this was the year the original film was released.

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Goofs

No less than four times does Hooper roll his wheelchair to the left to exit the dugout. Given that there are steps this would make his exit a little tricky. However, on the third base end of the dugout in the championship game it is clear that Hooper rolls down a ramp.

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Quotes

Kelly Leak: [talking to a Hooters waitress] Hey, what time are you getting off?

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Connections

Remake of The Bad News Bears (1976)

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Soundtracks

Habanera
from "Carmen"
by Georges Bizet
Performed by Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Enjoyable, but no improvement

The "Bad News Bears" remake serves its purpose but don't think that it's any improvement over the original. Thornton is excellent and some of the new additions (such as the crippled Matt Hooper) add some new elements to the movie. However, some of the best parts of the original are either toned down or left out, including the classic "Kelly Leak's one bad mother" scene (which is one area where the original script should have been followed 100%). The worst part of the movie in comparison with the 1976 version are the parts of Amanda Wurlitzer and Kelly Leak. These two characters are not performed nearly as well as in the original, especially the pivotal role of Amanda. However, the movie is still very enjoyable and worth seeing if you're a fan of the 1976 film.