Die Bären bleiben am Ball

This second installment in Paramount's "The Bad News Bears" film series is (as most sequels are) not quite as good as the original film but it's not entirely bad either. William Devane does a fairly good job in his role as the new coach of the Bears little league baseball team. He has his sights set on big things including giving the team a shot for the little league world series and a chance to play at the famed Houston Astrodome. However, what could've made this sequel better was if some of the talent that came together to make the first film so enjoyable could've returned. The series was never the same without Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal.

I first saw this movie back in the summer of '77, just before my 9th birthday, and enjoyed it so much that I joined a little league baseball team the following year. That's what this film did for my life.

While people have often criticized this sequel over the absents of both Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal from the original cast. I think the criticism would be an accurate and valid one if this sequel was trying to be something like, "Rocky II", for example. Where the sequel is just a slight variation on the original story, except that the hero (or heroes) win at the end of the movie, instead of lose. But that's NOT what this movie was trying to be.

Instead, "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" is a road picture at heart. About a group of preteen misfits from the suburbs of Los Angles, California who get swept away by their shared ambitions of playing in the Astrodome in Houston, TX for the National Championship of little league baseball.

Sort of like, "Bless the Beast and Children", meets, "Treasure Island" in the form of a sports movie. Without any pirates or buffalo's serving as metaphors for the doomed spirit of young boys.

But, what I think is a more accurate criticism of this sequel, is that despite the Bears being the West Coast champions at the beginning of the movie, they're apparently a really bad baseball team, who are in desperate need of a decent pitcher.

Twice we see the Bears play baseball prior to the championship game and twice it's like watching the 3-little stooges, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin all on the same baseball team together trying to hit and field a baseball.

That is, until Kelly's long separated father (William Devane) becomes the teams manager shortly after the Bears arrive in Houston. Then, he quickly converts them from a comically bad team into a championship team, after just a few days of practice.

Also, there's the unnecessary family drama conflict at the end of the film between Kelly Leak and his father/team manager which suddenly erupts out of nowhere, for no reason, and feels very forced and too tact on for the audience to empathize with Kelly's sudden outburst of pent-up emotional rage of being abandoned by his father (that everyone likes by now) when he was a very young child.

Then later, in this 70's "Feel Good Summer Sports Movie" - which would eventually become a movie cliché by the mid-80's - all of that sudden serious drama between a divorced father and his abandoned son is all magically resolved by simply winning the big game at the end of the movie.

That's nice, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the end too. If only real life was more like that.(sigh)

But, both of those justifiable criticisms of the movie are only a very slight departure from what this movie really excels at in a big way. Which is, creating a huge sense of joy and fun of watching a small band of preteen misfits in their collective pursuit of playing baseball on a national stage, inside the greatest sports stadium in the country and possibly bringing a National Championship back to California with them.

I was with the Bears the entire way through the movie, and I even lived in Texas at the time, and still do.

While I realize that this movie is definitely not for everyone. But, if you were a kid in the 70's, or just want to reconnect with your lost sense of youthful mischief when the world was still just one big adventure? Then this is a must see movie.

that features the town I grew up in, Houston. If it's a film about paint drying, and was shot in the 70's, I'm there! But, about THIS movie....

"BNB BT" is a decent, but weak follow up to the original. But then most "Part II" movies tend to be, right? Without Tatum O'Neal, and Walter Matthau, the movie seems to just coast. Now, I like William Devane, but it would have had more "bite" with the original leads.

The kids are cute, they play their hearts out, and you just love them. We have the sub-plot with Devane and his son, and then, the BIG FINISH!

Yeah, it was filmed inside the "Seventh Wonder of the World", the Astrodome, famed for such things as, The Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs "Battle of The Sexes" tennis match, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Astro's baseball, Oiler's football( and the short lived USFL Gamblers, too!), and countless other events. Part of the old school charm of watching anything in the 'Dome, was that scoreboard that lights up with the cowboy, and bull, all LONG gone....

It's fun seeing places you knew growing up, AND seeing people who went to your school! The character "Janet" was played by Michelle Fruge, was a cheerleader and was in my graduating class of 1980, from Dulles High School, in Sugar Land Texas. 6 on a scale of 10, for Houston. 4 on a scale of 10 for everything else.

"The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" is a cute sequel to the classic original. By know means does it come close to it predecessor but it is a fun time waster.

The Bears head off,unchaperoned, to play an exhibition game at the Astrodome against the Texas state champs. (One major flaw is that it is never adequately explained why the Bears would be making the trip since they lost the championship game in the original). The usual juvenile hijinks ensue on the road as they make their way there.

Once there team leader Kelly Leak enlists the aid of his estranged father (nicely played by William Devane) to coach the team. This leads to the opening of some old wounds between the two. It's a nice distraction from the main story and handled well until the cornball, cliched scene where the hatchet is buried.

The big game is handled well with the Astrodome surroundings a big aid.

While Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal (the star pticher in this one is played by Jimmy Baio who is given nothing to do)are sorely missed, the cast does an adequate job of making the film amusing for kids.

The final result is a nice little film. The game is the best part but there are plenty of amusing moments (including the requisite bad language from the kids) to keep you mildly interested. If you don't agree, just take a peak at "The Bad News Bears Go To Japan." This film will look like a classic compared to that disaster.

As a 12 year old I probably would've given this movie a 10. Along with Star Wars it was my favorite movie for the summer of 77 and probably for a few more years of my youth. Honestly, it is still incredibly nostalgic to me -I'd say more so than any other movie I watched during that time period of my life. Which is why it gets an 8. I agree with the other posts here especially Damonfordham -This movie is for 12-13 year olds (or kids around that age) not adults. If I saw this today for the first time I would think it was god awful. I think you need the combination of youth, innocence, immaturity and to have been growing up in the 70's to really be effected by this film. There was a time and place for this in my life -if I would've have seen it any later I wouldn't have the memory of it I do today. I remember seeing it twice that summer and the theme song (Our time is now (Looking Good) by James Rolleston) staying with me long after. That song still takes me back. Look, movies have changed tremendously, most kids today might not even like this movie and adults forget it -it's not meant for you. Yes it's cheesy- but if you grew up in the 70's and were 12 or so when you saw this then you get it.

I have often sang that song throughout my life when life is looking good- here are the lyrics: The road is open and we're rolling thru and life is looking good We got a dream that maybe could come true and life is looking good If we just stay loose now we'll come out alright There's something telling me our time is now It's just a whisper but I know somehow We've got to listen got to do it now Life is looking good for you and me The clouds have parted and the sun's come thru and life is looking good There's nothing that can beat all we can do and life is looking good If we hold together we're gonna be alright There's something telling me our time is now It's just a whisper but I know somehow We've got to listen got to do it now Life is looking good for you and me If we just stay loose now we're gonna be alright....