Die Bären sind los

Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton) is a drunken lazy pest control worker. He's a former pitcher who actually got to the majors for 2/3 of an inning. Liz Whitewood (Marcia Gay Harden) hires him to coach the little league team. Roy Bullock (Greg Kinnear) is an opposing coach. The team is full of misfits and he recruits Amanda Whurlitzer (Sammi Kane Kraft) to play for him.

This one pales in comparison to the original in almost every aspect. I even like Buttermaker's original job of pool cleaning better. Billy Bob Thornton is a great actor but he doesn't have quite as much apathy as Walter Matthau. His drunk acting isn't as good and his anger is more threatening. The kids just don't have the same charisma. And Sammi is no Tatum O'Neal even though she could really bring the heat. Director Richard Linklater is given not much more than a copy of the original to work with. And it toned down the edgier material. The original was a scathing indictment of kids sports leagues. This one is trying to be too cute about it.

Every change seems to make this inferior. The kid in the wheelchair idea is stupid. They dropped the lawsuit idea. The dwarf joke doesn't work. The kids don't have the same chemistry together. Tanner Boyle and Timmy Lupus had such a great feel the first time around. Greg Kinnear is nowhere near vicious enough. They whimped out on his key moment with his son and what his son did in the original is so much better. Then there is the lack of an Oscar winner as the girl. They figured that they can't match the acting so they didn't even try. Of course, there's no way they would even consider using real beers. They could have done so much more than simply whimpify the original.

Since I finally remembered to rent The Bad News Bears at Hollywood Video, I decided to rent the remake instead of the sequels first, to see what the remake was all about and I thought that actually Billy Bob Thorton was a great choice for Buttermaker, so I was kinda looking forward to it. Of course, I watched the original first, so after almost dying of laughter from The Bad News Bears, this film had a lot to live up too. Unforutnatley, I don't think this film worked as well because of the dates, the 70's, films still seemed like they could push it to the edge, while into today's world, we have to be more PC. Not to mention the kids were more annoying and punky than the lovable punky kids in the original.

Buttermaker is a has been baseball player and now an alcoholic, he is given the job of a little league coach for the Bears since no other fathers are taking the job. But he's definitely taken back when he finds out that the team he is coaching are kids who are, well, I guess you could say "lacking" in the department of knowing how to play baseball. But he just wants to get paid and get the job over with, but when their first game comes along, the kids get creamed 26-0, Buttermaker is pressured to drop the team out of the league, but instead teaches the kids how to play and recruits a couple of new kids, a girl who's mother he used to date, and a rebel without a cause. The kids get better in each game, but it's a matter of Buttermaker getting his priorities straight when he lets the game get the worst of him... and he's an alcoholic!

Billy Bob did do a good job as the new Buttermaker, but he seemed to be the softer version than Walter, so I'd have to vote for Walter if I want the real Buttermaker. Tanner, I was incredibly disappointed with, because he just turned into an annoying brat than a fun little punk, not to mention I was ticked off that they changed the line "shove the trophies up your..." to the other kid, that was Tanner's line and rightfully so! While Bad News Bears had a couple laughs, it just wasn't needed, stick with the original.

6/10

Unskilled, belligerent group of young boys on a losing Little League baseball team get an alcoholic coach who eventually cleans up their act--and his own. Any film-buff well acquainted with the 1976 Michael Ritchie film "The Bad News Bears" will watch this remake in a perpetual state of deprivation. For every new ingredient added (a kid in a wheelchair, Hooters waitresses on the sidelines, a skateband interlude), there's a classic sequence dropped, funny lines omitted, a bracing sense of importance missing, and uncharismatic, non-plussed child actors who walk through their roles colorlessly. Of course, Billy Bob Thornton is a terrific substitute for Walter Matthau, but Matthau didn't carry the original film all by himself, and Thornton isn't fully in-character anyway (he's just breezing through). The whole early morning feel of Southern California Little League is missing, and the urgency of the original is gone, too (those kids had something riding on these games). Director Richard Linklater obviously was fond of the 1976 version, but he knows the notes without hearing the music; he supplies updated comedic touches without seeing the relevancy, and his tone and narrative are doggedly straightforward (except for the strange opening sequence, which immediately gets the picture off on the wrong foot). A sad botch. *1/2 from ****

First, let me say that it's been years since I saw the original and not being a baseball/softball player myself, I couldn't remember a thing about it. I thought this movie was funny and had some good messages promoting "team concepts", even though it was hidden sometimes under crude language, sexual innuendo and other subjects not appropriate for very young children. I am a Billy Bob Thorton fan and I thought he played the part well and was exactly the guy for the role. You generally wouldn't expect to see him in a PG-rated movie anyway. I just want families with young children to keep this in mind when choosing a film for all to see. A few families walked out after the first few minutes that contained some language not appropriate for their young children. The child actors in the movie are great and make the picture enjoyable to watch. The other benefit to this film, again for the appropriate aged audience is that it is about two hours long so you feel like you get your money's worth!

Okay, sometimes I go for a mindless film. This movie was pretty mindless but I expected it to be. It was foul mouthed and showed the kids trying to beat the snot out of each other. After "Bad Santa", I really didn't expect any less.

Someone else commented that there were long pauses left in for laughing. I'm not sure where he lives, but the people in my theater were all laughing their butts off most of the movie. Maybe it's an age difference - this was a mostly 20-something crowd enjoying this film.

Under no circumstances would I want my children seeing this film until they're at least 15, though. It IS an adult film and I don't think that kids need another movie to get bad ideas from. An R rating would have suited the film better, especially if it meant raunchier scenes.

All in all I enjoyed myself. It's not a film for everyone, that's for sure - but if you enjoyed "Bad Santa", you'll probably like this film.