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:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,382,472, 24 July 2005

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

Garo bats in front of Kelly twice, getting hit by the pitch once, and making out once. Then in the final inning, he hits after Kelly, an unacceptable change in the batting order. There is a way this could have happened under Little League rules, but it would have required Garo to be removed from the game for a substitute and to then return to the game and replace someone else. That didn't happen.

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Quotes

Amanda Whurlitzer: Man, you must have a big one because I don't know what else my mom saw in you.
Morris Buttermaker: You're not supposed to be talking about my... my one. You're 12 years old. As far as you know, I'm like G.I. Joe down there, okay?
Amanda Whurlitzer: I have the Internet, you know. I'm not stupid.

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Connections

Featured in Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny (2016)

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Soundtracks

This is War
Written and Performed by Ben Kweller
Courtesy of ATO Records / RCA Records Label
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Quality film, if mildly recycled w/ "Bad Santa" materials

"Bad News Bears" (2005) is a likable film about a lousy dad who becomes a decent baseball coach and it can be lewd but there's a genuine caring in it and a willingness to let kids be kids in all their cussing and beating each other up and not caring that much about being polite. I liked it. No complaints from me. Didn't see or know about the original "Bad News Bears" (1976). Maybe this was an average remake, but by no means terrible. Probably better than most remakes these days anyway.

Many older reviews call this adaptation "Bad News Bears" soulless and over-sweary, but I wouldn't go that far. If you are a fan of Billy Bob Thornton's "Bad Santa" character you'll appreciate the scent of desperation and alchohol his "Bad News Bears" character has, as well as his appreciation for hookers and predilection for both swearing at and fathering forgotten kids. There's many tropes that are familiar between "Bad News Bears" and "Bad Santa." There's even a cameo from one of the "Bad Santa" characters. I wouldn't necessarily call "Bad News Bears" PG-13 but it is a lot more PG-13 than "Bad Santa."

"Bad News Bears" even includes several pep talks about winning and not learning to be a total quitter. And for once, the moral message doesn't fall flat. Billy Bob Thornton does have a way of never sounding like he's taking the high road and that's a good thing when it comes to talking straight to kids. I would still want to recommend "Bad News Bears" to a 13 year old who isn't too sheltered because there's some sex references every now and again.

On top of this, "Bad News Bears" boasts some great cast. In addition to Billy Bob Thornton there is Greg Kinnear as the try-hard rival coach, and Marcia Gay Harden as an uptight lawyer mom of one of the baseball players who likes to win. The child actors who play Billy Bob Thornton's ragtag baseball team are believable and rather refreshing-none are overly sweet or doormats. They strike a good balance.

Overall decent film with worthy acting moments from most actors, even if both Billy Bob Thornton and Marcia Gay Harden are somewhat typecast (Thornton as the alcoholic derelict and Harden as the uptight businesswoman). A little bit of a rehash, but enjoyable anyways.