SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

zkonedog As a lifelong baseball fan, I had kind of been embarrassed that I had never seen this movie all the way through. Whenever a Little League-er lets a ball through the legs or stumbles around under a pop-up, someone will usually bring up a "Bad News Bears" comment. When I finally did sit down and watch it in entirety, however, what I found was that it is a film where the subject matter and stereotypes transcend how good the movie actually is.For a basic plot summary, "Bad News Bears" sees former baseball player Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) basically get suckered/bribed into coaching a community Little League baseball team (the Bears). In typical fashion, the team can't hit, catch, or throw, and Buttermaker doesn't care…sipping his beer and puffing his smokes in the dugout. When the boys are embarrassed by the rival Yankees in their first game and the opposing manager gets under Buttermaker's skin, however, he begins to start trying/caring (albeit in only the way he knows how). When motorcycle-riding "hooligan" Kelly (Jackie Earle Haley) and step-daughter Amanda (Tatum O'Neal) are recruited to help the team out, things actually begin to click and the Bears start moving up in the standings.There are themes/clichés in this movie that truly are universal. I mean, any baseball/sports fan can relate to the bumbling little league team, right?! Then, you also have the "rebel kid who also has the best baseball skills", the "girl who can outpitch the boys", and the "manager who waffles between caring, winning, and having fun". Heck, the rival team in the film is even called the Yankees for crying out loud! I think this is why "Bad News Bears" will always have a niche in sports film culture, as it shines a brief light on so many of those youth sports touchstones.Taken just as a film (and not a cliché), however, "Bad News Bears" really isn't all that great (I even found it rather dull in spots). Most of the beats are completely and utter predictable and characters like Buttermaker and Kelly Leak (while potentially iconic in image) don't really provide a coherent narrative. The only portion of the movie that really, really works is Tatum O'Neal's character, as Amanda actually receives a character arc and is given interesting things to do rather than just following a formulaic script.Thus, I think the biggest problem with "Bad News Bears" is that it tries to stuff too many clichés and sports genre tropes into its one hour and forty minute runtime, to the point of not really nailing any of them. Those clichés, combined with a few funny sight gags ("Chico's Bail Bonds"), will allow this film to live on into the annals of history, but I'd recommended using it as those stereotypes instead of sitting down and watching it front-to-back, as you may be disappointed by the full cinematic experience.

gavin6942 Aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.Tatum O'Neal as a "reformed tomboy" is a bit odd. Not that she is bad, but her line delivery seems a bit flat. Is this intentional? And it is interesting to see Jackie Earle Haley as a kid (he is in all three "Bears" movies) now that he has reinvented himself as an adult, with such roles as Freddy Krueger or Rorschach in "Watchmen".Roger Ebert called the film "an unblinking, scathing look at competition in American society", and that can be one commentary the film is trying to make. But more importantly, this is the precursor to every kid's baseball film out there, including "The Sandlot". Who cares if it has a political message? It is just a fun film!

Rich Wright Baseball is not a game that has ever (or will ever) interest me in the slightest, but if you avoided all sports films just because you didn't like the subject you'd be missing out on some bona fide classics. This entry doesn't quite reach that lofty standard, but there's enough good characterisation amongst the team members and Walter Matthau's gruff turn as the abrasive yet good-hearted coach for it to JUST make the play-offs (I know, bad reference joke there).I would like to take issue though with the ending, which almost made me spit fire. Let me get this straight... You're ONE game away from winning the championship... and in the final match... you decide to let all the WORST players on your side take to the pitch... just because 'they haven't had a chance all season?' And, when you inevitably are defeated, you celebrate like it was a victory because 'everyone got to take part'? This is stupidity almost beyond the realms of comprehension.If you wanted to give the losers a run-out, how about in one of the EARLIER matches, when you were ahead by a long way and nothing was at stake? By letting them have free reign in such an important game... it's the most terrible kind of self-vandalism. What was the point in working so HARD to reach this point, to throw it all away to make a pathetic moral?Morons, the lot of 'em. And I bet they'd make the England football squad too... 6/10

TheLittleSongbird I have to admit I am not a huge sports fan, but several sports movies have sparked my interest, such as Hoosiers, Breaking Away and Remember the Titans. I saw The Bad News Bears mostly for Walter Matthau and I really enjoyed it. While it could have been a tad longer perhaps, and one or two scenes could have been tighter in the pace, it is a very good movie. For a sports movie, it is quite different, taking on the underdogs taking on the big boys scenario for example, and it works wonderfully.The production values are very nice, and Jerry Fielding's score compliments each scene beautifully. The film's script is quite gritty, but it is also funny and thoughtful, while the story is always engaging and well-thought out with the relationship between Morris and his team particularly pulling you in. The direction is solid, while the acting is excellent. Walter Matthau is simply brilliant as the boozy coach Morris, while Joyce Van Patten gives great support and the child stars are more than a match for Matthau. Especially Tatum O'Neal, who is quite charming yet very spunky and likable, and I personally think she has better screen presence than her dad.All in all, a very enjoyable movie, and whether you are a fan of sports movies or not, this movie is recommended. 8/10 Bethany Cox