Bad News Bears

Entertaining but Unnecessary
The original Bad News Bears is an absolute classic which has aged well. There was no need for a remake; the fact that this movie was made anyhow is a tribute to the lack of creativity and aversion to risk taking in Hollywood. That said, the remake is entertaining, and had it been an original film I would have rated it four rather than three stars.
The primary reason to see the new Bad News Bears is actor Billy Bob Thornton. He is the logical successor to Walter Matthau's mantle. Thornton owns the character of Coach Buttermaker - a lewd, gruff drunk with no socially redeeming traits who still manages to exude a sleazy charm. Had he created this role rather than just expertly imitated it, it would have been pure genius, and as it is, it stands as a homage to the original.
Oddly, the remake manages to be simultaneously both raunchier and more politically correct than the original. Where the original film had Buttermaker getting endorsements from a bail bondsman on the kid's...

Entertaining remake of Michael Ritche/Walter Matthau classic
Remakes good or bad dog our entertainment existence. Why? A good story needs to be retold. A good story needs to be told more than once. It's a waste otherwise. The movies represent our myths. We've seen two remakes and two sequels to "King Kong" and "Dracula" has been adapted many, many times (badly for the most part I might add) so why not the comedy about the team of baseball misfits who could? Billy Bob Thornton takes on the role that Walter Matthau essayed in the original 1976 film. The social misfits angle has been updated with kids that behave worse and have their own social stigmas. They still kick butt. Alcoholic pest worker Morris Buttermaker (Thornton) briefly played in the "big game" before washing out and using booze as his crutch. He's recruited to coach a kids baseball team that play so badly that they could be beat by a tree in the wind.

Michael Ritiche's ("Smile", "The Bad News Bears", "Downhill Racer", "The Candidate")original is a five star classic that...

Remake Stays True, but Fails to Deliver
The 2005 version of the Bad News Bears is the same story as the 1976 version, but it is far from the same movie.

The 1976 movie is a classic. The late Walther Matthau was perfectly cast as the lovable boozer, coach Buttermaker. Tatum O'Neil, who already had an Academy Award in her trophy case, brought comedy and tenderness to the movie as the tenacious, yet emotionally fragile pitcher, Amanda. While the movie was hilarious and a great social commentary on an American institution, it was the tender relationship between Matthau and O'Neal that made the movie work.

The remake is commendable for staying so true to the original; the few differences include an updated demographic mix of players and updated scenes- skateboard parks replaced pool halls and Hooters replaced Pizza Hut.

Despite the fidelity to the original, the remake fouls classic lines and the relationship between Amanda and Buttermaker strikes out. The cast of the remake turns in a minor...

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