You know, sometimes a low expectation of something can really give you a pleasant surprise. This Richard Linklater remake of a great 1976 Walter Matthau movie isn't close to being brilliant or remotely fresh. In fact the term "if it ain't broke then why fix it" springs to mind, because an update wasn't needed at all. But to me, and a few other hardy {foolhardy} souls, this Bad News Bears is immensely funny and far from hindered by its predictability {Linklater and his team stick rigidly to the original film}. And while nobody, and I mean nobody, can do sarcasm and hang-dawg like Matthau, Billy Bob Thornton is no bad substitute to have coming off the bench. His delivery of some truly priceless lines alone make the film worth watching. That he is at ease with the array of child actors on show also eases the film thru its sticky {potentially sickly} moments.
In a sports based genre that is full of like for like pictures, The Bad News Bears original is still one of its acerbic highlights. This remake does fall well short in the class department, but on a gags to laughs ratio? It nicely hits the ball out of the park.
5.5/10 to many weary observers, 7.5/10 for me and the rest of the Morris Buttermilk appreciation society.
In a sports based genre that is full of like for like pictures, The Bad News Bears original is still one of its acerbic highlights. This remake does fall well short in the class department, but on a gags to laughs ratio? It nicely hits the ball out of the park.
5.5/10 to many weary observers, 7.5/10 for me and the rest of the Morris Buttermilk appreciation society.