User Reviews

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.

I love Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa and the Bad News Bears remake to 2005 after a 29 years since the original film. The film has changed to modify today's world where computers rule the world which I said at 10 years old to an skeptical neighbor and where even a handicapped wheelchair-bound boy can play baseball. Thornton plays Buttermaker, the major league baseball player who turns coach rather than get a jail sentence. The mother of one his players is played by the divine Marcia Gay Harden. I think the kid from Bad Santa also has a role as does Greg Kinnear who plays a competitive coach. I love watching the kids learn the sport by killing insects since Buttermaker is an exterminator and they sponsored by a strip club. They start getting better in the beginning. They are lovable losers who face ridicule and humiliation every day at school. Suddenly, they get help with a girl pitcher and a guy who's a rebel.

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!

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 ****

"Bad News Bears" (2005) is a likable film about a lousy dad who becomes a decent baseball coach and it can be lewd but there's a genuine caring in it and a willingness to let kids be kids in all their cussing and beating each other up and not caring that much about being polite. I liked it. No complaints from me. Didn't see or know about the original "Bad News Bears" (1976). Maybe this was an average remake, but by no means terrible. Probably better than most remakes these days anyway.

Many older reviews call this adaptation "Bad News Bears" soulless and over-sweary, but I wouldn't go that far. If you are a fan of Billy Bob Thornton's "Bad Santa" character you'll appreciate the scent of desperation and alchohol his "Bad News Bears" character has, as well as his appreciation for hookers and predilection for both swearing at and fathering forgotten kids. There's many tropes that are familiar between "Bad News Bears" and "Bad Santa." There's even a cameo from one of the "Bad Santa" characters. I wouldn't necessarily call "Bad News Bears" PG-13 but it is a lot more PG-13 than "Bad Santa."

"Bad News Bears" even includes several pep talks about winning and not learning to be a total quitter. And for once, the moral message doesn't fall flat. Billy Bob Thornton does have a way of never sounding like he's taking the high road and that's a good thing when it comes to talking straight to kids. I would still want to recommend "Bad News Bears" to a 13 year old who isn't too sheltered because there's some sex references every now and again.

On top of this, "Bad News Bears" boasts some great cast. In addition to Billy Bob Thornton there is Greg Kinnear as the try-hard rival coach, and Marcia Gay Harden as an uptight lawyer mom of one of the baseball players who likes to win. The child actors who play Billy Bob Thornton's ragtag baseball team are believable and rather refreshing-none are overly sweet or doormats. They strike a good balance.

Overall decent film with worthy acting moments from most actors, even if both Billy Bob Thornton and Marcia Gay Harden are somewhat typecast (Thornton as the alcoholic derelict and Harden as the uptight businesswoman). A little bit of a rehash, but enjoyable anyways.

I'm a fan of Billy Bob - but he ain't no Walter Matthau. Every character is just plain flat - with nothing to act off of. You don't really care about anyone in the movie. Linklater is a much better director and you are better off watching any other movie that either he or Billy Bob has made. A waste of money all around in my opinion. Just go and watch the original - you won't regret it. (They won't let me make my comment unless I have 10 lines of text - but I have nothing else to say. Guess I'll just have to keep typing until they let this go through. Opps not enough yet - how about this time. Still not enough - I think this will make it)

The Bad News Bears, is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name. The film is about an alcoholic exterminator named Morris Buttermaker, who agrees to coach a youth baseball team basically for the money. When he first meets the team he realizes that they do not know how to play baseball at all so he tries to get them into shape to win the championship game. To help him do this he recruits his daughter Amanda (from a previous marriage), who he has not seen in years and a troublesome motorcycle rider named Kelly. Coaching one of the rival teams is Roy Bullock, a coach who is obsessed about winning. With the bursts of anger and alcohol problem the kids will have to get used to Morris, and he will have to get used to the troublesome kids as well. This remake of The Bad News Bears, is by Richard Linklater, who is one of my favourite modern day directors and after a bunch of cult and independent films this is his third mainstream film after The Newton Boys (which I have never seen), and The School Of Rock. The film also stars Billy Bob Thornton, who I thought was very good in such films as Sling Blade, and Bad Santa. With a good director and good actor I thought this film would be pretty good but it isn't. The character of Morris Buttermaker, is very similar to Billy Bob Thornton's character Willie in the film Bad Santa, and in some ways the film is a lot like Bad Santa (so seeing as two of the screen writers did Bad Santa, is not surprising). The film tries to deliver the same type of rude and profane jokes that worked wonderfully in Bad Santa, but makes the jokes a lot tamer for a PG-13 audience and they just don't work. They almost feel like rejected jokes from Bad Santa. And the film didn't do a whole lot for me and it was fairly predictable and in a lot of ways you could see where the movie was going. I have not seen the original 1976 version of The Bad News Bears, but I'am a person who strongly dislikes remakes and does not think that they are necessary at all. This is a remake that probably didn't have to be made because it falls flat soon and not even the talent of Richard Linklater, or Billy Bob Thornton can bring it back to life. A big disappointment from both these talents.

When filmmakers get the idea to remake a classic movie, often it's because he or she feels that something was missing from the original. They feel that, by placing their unique stamp on the new film, they can satisfy unanswered questions, plot points, etc, while maintaining the basic dignity and character of the original.

So...based on that theory, Billy Bob Thornton's rationale for the remake of "The Bad News Bears" was that the original had too many letters in the title (in a bold and highly daring move reminiscent of Ed Wood at his finest, Thornton decided to drop "The", changing it simply to "Bad News Bears"), not enough swearing...and a kid in a wheelchair. Oh, and he changes enemy Yankee pitcher's last name from "Turner" to "Bullok" for reasons unbeknownst to anyone but himself. With revolutionary alterations such as these, don't be surprised if you pick up the rental box half a dozen times while watching the movie to make absolutely sure that you have indeed rented the correct film.

Basically, the plot can be summed up as "Bad Santa coaches a group of misfit kids". Yawn. We've seen this role, this performance, from Billy Bob Thornton one too many times. Thornton wants to bowl us over with the 'shocking' vulgarity of youth, but a trip to "Hooters" and Tanner teaching a boy in a wheelchair to curse both turn out to be so lightweight that it is likely that only the Reverend Jerry Falwell would take offense.

At best, the casting was marginal, and at worst, the audience is forced to wonder if the director actually auditioned the kids or merely closed his eyes and chanted 'Eenie, Meenie, Mynie, Mo" while holding a stack of acting resumes. Sammi Kane Kraft (as Amanda) was a great baseball player with limited acting ability, and Timmy Deters was only modestly successful in trying to recreate the role of Tanner Boyle. Tyler Patrick Jones as Timmy Lupus was far and away the most talented of what basically amounted to a mediocre cast of child actors, but he was utterly wasted in this film and was limited to a few one-liners that must have ended up on the cutting room floor from "Bad Santa". Naturally, Thornton is no match for the venerable Walter Matthau as Buttermaker. Whereas Matthau was irascible and cantankerous in a lovable 'Grandpa's dipping in the cider again' kind of way, Thornton's version of Buttermaker is creepy enough to make us think of adequate background checks and the stupidity of parents who would willingly leave their children alone with him.

Per his film tradition in his post "Sling Blade" days, Thornton goes out of his way to remove any heartfelt sentiment from the plot, and thus the friendship between Timmy Lupus and Tanner Boyle never materializes. That adds to what is perhaps the most irritating part of the film: the introduction of a new player (Tony Gentile as Matthew Hooper). It is an unnecessary plot device, possibly added only because the always classy Thornton had some good 'kid in wheelchair' jokes that he was just itching to use, and adds a touch of surrealism to a movie that should be imminently grounded in realism. In fact, Thornton changes one of the most touching moments of the original movie by handing it to Hooper (a character who, let's face it, has no redeeming qualities other than the fact that he's in a wheelchair) in one highly unrealistic scene; he thereby successfully strips even more of the heart away from the original film. Which, judging from Thornton's film-making history, was probably exactly what he intended to do.

In short, there are undoubtedly worse remakes out there ("War of the Worlds" and "Bewitched" come to mind), but not many. If you're thinking of renting this film because you're desperate for some true seventies banality, allow me to suggest that you save the money and instead try catching either the rerun of "Alice" where Flo says "Kiss my grits" for the eighteenth time or the action-packed episode of "My Three Sons" where Fred MacMurray lights his pipe. If you choose to rent the film anyway...well, don't say I didn't give you any other viable options.

I generally am a Richard Linklater fan and consider Mr. Thorton one of the finest actors and writers we have. I'd like to kick them both dead on in the nuts for this one. The original was a structurally flawless piece of work and their version was horrendous and stupid. Everything the original did with grace, skill and humor they trampled over needlessly. Every time they changed Lancaster's original script they did so without tact and screwed up the rhythm of the piece

See the original. It remains a masterpiece and one of the greatest sports movies ever made. This is a cheap remake that should have never been made. So many great scripts and premises have been screwed up, why not remake those and start with JJ Abrams original screenplay of "Regarding Henry" another movie where a top notch director did not do his best work. Now that should be remade how Abrams envisioned it.

He's never written anything better, nor have most of the rest of us.

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.

I just want to know exactly who Mr. Linklater was trying to appeal to in this movie. Not only is the kids' sport genre tired, they are geared primarily for children most of the time. But with Billy Bob Thorton (who I thought was hilarious in "Bad Santa"), one would guess they are trying to bring in the older audiences.

The movie feels like it has split personalities. There is a ton of swearing and adult humor that would definitely NOT appeal to parents of younger children, but many of the jokes just weren't funny to me because they were aimed at the younger children.

The movie is not terrible, but its not good either. It is simply a forgettable movie, which is a shame because I think Richard Linklater is a great director and Billy Bob Thorton seems like a natural when it comes to comedic timing.

I think everyone who has seen this movie would agree with me, Billy Bob was the only good aspect to this film. The kids were terrible at acting, they made it seem like they were reading off a teleprompter the whole time. There were very few funny lines, and the kids seemed like nothing but potty mouth little brats.

The original is way better, the performance I saw by Walter Matthau in the original got me very excited because Billy Bob always plays a good drunk, but in this film Billy Bob was just too nice most of the time, so his character was a little too dull. If you enjoy baseball films then you might enjoy this, but I doubt even the biggest Billy Bob fan would give this 2 thumbs up...

The "Bad News Bears" remake serves its purpose but don't think that it's any improvement over the original. Thornton is excellent and some of the new additions (such as the crippled Matt Hooper) add some new elements to the movie. However, some of the best parts of the original are either toned down or left out, including the classic "Kelly Leak's one bad mother" scene (which is one area where the original script should have been followed 100%). The worst part of the movie in comparison with the 1976 version are the parts of Amanda Wurlitzer and Kelly Leak. These two characters are not performed nearly as well as in the original, especially the pivotal role of Amanda. However, the movie is still very enjoyable and worth seeing if you're a fan of the 1976 film.

I gave the remake a 6. I consider the original a 9 or 10. As a kid the original BNB was as close to the actual Little League experience one could get. Growing up in the 70's and seeing the original as a kid has over the years, made me appreciate the original BNB more and more over the years. Tanner is one of my favorite characters in moviedom.

The new version while staying very close to the original, has none of the spirit of the old classic. All of the actors fail to live up to any of the original's grit and toughness. The new Tanner is a joke. He looks like Tanner, speaks like Tanner, acts like Tanner, but he is not Tanner. Same goes for everyone except for maybe the Timmy Lupis character. He was passable. Billy Bob was and still is the only choice to play Buttermaker, but even he can't pull this one off. There is just no reason for remaking this classic.

The kid in the wheel chair was just ridiculous.

Why?

Along with others who were born in the late Sixties, I felt that seeing the new *Bad News Bears* was somehow mandatory, if only to indulge in the guilty pleasure of nostalgia. We all knew it would suck, didn't we? -- but we had to see it anyway.

Let it be said at once that Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Buttermaker is quite a come-down from the immortal Walter Matthau in the same role. Since the script of this new version is quite identical to the original, much of the degradation displayed here must be put at the feet of Thornton, a notorious ad-libber. None of us, young or old, need to be subjected to exclamations such as "You guys look like the last s--t I took." Or to hear copious references to Greg Kinnear's family jewels.

But whether through the script or through Thornton's egregious improvising, director Richard Linklater reveals a complete lack of control. Evidently, the best that he feels he can do with this material is to allow it to subside deeper into crassness than the original. The whole enterprise becomes a dreary exercise in upping the ante: Matthau's Buttermaker was a pool cleaner; Thornton's Buttermaker is a rat-exterminator . . . in the '76 version, the Bears are sponsored by Chico's Bail Bonds; in the 2005 version, they're sponsored by a strip-club. Get the idea? What had been a gritty, rather incisive look at everyday Americana has become merely an exercise in crudity. This degeneration of standards can legitimately be argued away as the eternal complaint of the old, but the feeling persists that the original *Bad News Bears* was still made for KIDS, despite the more realistic dialog, situations, and characters. (And Matthau was never a scene-stealer; Tatum O'Neal shone just as brightly as he did. And rightly so.) The Little Leaguers in this film are sadly subordinate to the leering Coach -- guess who the intended audience is? (Hint: not kids.)

By the way -- speaking of come-downs -- the iconic role of bad-boy Kelly Leak as portrayed by the super-iconic Jackie Earl Haley has been utterly neutered, here. The new Kelly is played by some incipient Calvin Klein model pretending to be a skate-punk. Pee-yew, man. Hey Jackie Earl, wherever you are: your status as the preeminent prepubescent bad-ass is, like, totally safe.

1 star out of 10.

I am a fan of the original, so I went to see this with a bit of hesitation. First, Mr. Thornton was phenomenal. It's a lot easier for me to believe that he had a thing with Amanda's mom than did Mr. Matthau.

However, aside from his performance and a few cute scenes, I still prefer the original. The kids in the earlier version are much more believable (especially Tanner and Amanda). Even though the movie was still about the rough-and-tumble Bears, it was trying to be more PC than it should have been. I remember Kelly smoked, didn't he? And Buttermaker drank real beer?

Although it doesn't hold up to the original, it's still a cute movie. It would have been better if they'd had some of the original kids make some cameo appearances in this one. My favorite of the originals was, of course, the BNB in Breaking Training since I'm from Houston. Where would the Bears go now? to Minute Maid Park? I don't think so.

I've never seen the original "Bad News Bears", which is probably why I managed to enjoy this movie. I didn't get stuck comparing the two versions, I saw this remake as a movie in it's own right. With that said, it still isn't a great film no matter how you look at it. Billy Bob Thornton mouthing of to kids is a bit that never gets old, but all of this stuff has been done better in "Bad Santa". And eventually they find out he's pretty kind behind his rough exterior, yadda yadda yadda. Luckily there are still some hilarious lines worked in here and there, the writing occasionally take a break from lazily connecting the dots and actually come up with something original. The kids also act surprisingly well, although I say that about pretty much every child actor who doesn't look at the camera more than twice a scene. "Bad News Bears" isn't anything you haven't seen before, but it's entertaining I guess.

The original "Bad News Bears" was a hit because it was funny and even a bit shocking for it's time. Unfortunately this remake is not funny or original and only shocking in how bad it is.

The original movie had enough character development that you could relate to each of the kids and the adults. This remake does not take the time for character development and instead seems to rely on the viewers knowledge of the previous movie. The kids characters made the first movie interesting but this one chooses to ignore that fact and tries to focus on Buttermaker (Thornton). Tanner Boyle, Lupus, and Engelberg were main characters originally but are uninteresting and one dimensional in this version. While I'm sure these kids are fine actors they aren't given much of a chance to act in this film.

There is no originality in this new version. I assume a couple of very small changes, such as changing the team sponsor, were thrown in so the writers, producers and directors could claim they had not just blatantly ripped off the old movie.

Billy Bob Thornton turns in the same old performance we have seen from him before. When he is given a part that challenges him, Billy Bob seems to rise to the occasion. It is clear this part does not challenge him and his acting can only be described as "the usual."

Jeffrey Davies plays Kelly Leak and Sammi Kane Kraft is Amanda Whurlitzer. Their characters are downplayed to the point that it would be easy to forget they were even in the movie. Again, character development is non-existent and the two actors are not given anything to work with.

If you have not seen the original movie then this might not be a complete waste of your time. It is such a copy of the original movie, although not a good copy, that you might find some humor. Most, if not all, of the politically incorrect humor from the first version has been eliminated in an apparent effort to not offend.

In short, go and rent the 1976 version and enjoy the original for what it is. If you are a die hard Billy Bob Thornton fan and absolutely must see this film then wait for it on DVD and save yourself the trip to a theater.

I did not see the original movie, since I was born 3 years later, but I thought this movie was hilarious. I love Billy Bob's dry humor, which I agree, is the same as in Bad Santa. I don't think we should be comparing classics made 30 years ago with movies made today. They aren't comparable and doing so just sets you up for disappointment. By going to see this movie with a clean slate, you'll get more than enough laughs for your money and a great night out! I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone wanting a good laugh and who is tired of all those gory horror or predictable drama movies. However, this is definitely NOT a kid's movie, although it appears to be at first glance.

BAD NEWS BEARS (2005) **1/2 Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden.

Serviceable – yet play-by-play – remake of the '70s comedy classic.

Remakes are such a tricky creature in the cinematic world. Why bother remaking something that has an audience that loves the original in the first place is the $64,000 question most average filmgoers would be saying aloud and I'm hard-pressed to disagree? If it ain't broke, why fix it? But if you are going to do it, perhaps you should I dunno make it better?

In the latest Hollywood misgivings about damn-to-hell-what-the-audience-wants-let's simply-recycle-a-hit-from-the-past-and-worry-about-the-conseque nces-later offering the result is a practically serviceable yet play-by-play 'safe' remaking of the comedy classic that starred the lovably gruff, messed-bed persona of the beleaguered Walter Matthau in all his schlumpy glory as the grizzled, beer-drinking never-was of a big-league ballplayer reduced to cleaning swimming pools in sunny Southern California musing about his one time only appearance in the majors while managing a ragtag little league ball team of misfits, losers and foul-language spewing tykes which unearthed a new sports themed subgenre: the pathetic team of misfits, losers and foul-language spewing tykes which have been seen in everything from THE MIGHTY DUCKS to the recent REBOUND with its pedestrian scripts and bathroom humor that has run stale since the original BEARS' first unworthy sequel!

Well now indie cum Hollywood darling Richard Linklater (SCHOOL OF ROCK, DAZED AND CONFUSED) comes equipped with a faithful yet raunchy enough screenplay by BAD SANTA scribes Glenn Ficarra and John Requa who manage to update the Bill Lancaster script and Michael Ritchie's direction with enough pallid political incorrectness (except for one glaring omission in one of the lines spoken by the most foul player, Tanner Boyle (which I'm going to do likewise in fear of rebuttal; yeah, that's the times we live in folks, but dammit the line is funny and it's a JOKE!) and sexual humor to make the most hardened go-figure curmudgeon chuckle.

Thornton fills Matthau's shoes as Morris Buttermaker, a drunken ex-ball player who is now an exterminator here but still a souse with a lousy demeanor, who is coerced by an attorney child-rights activist named Liz Whitehood (the sexy Harden) and an undisclosed check to coach the Bears, the worst team ever assembled (thanks to the political correctness we know have an Indian nerd and a chubby kid in a wheelchair rounding out the token black kid, two Mexican brothers and the fat kid whose on Atkins and not a junk food junkie).

Buttermaker enlists the aid of Amanda Whurlitzer (Sammi Kraft), a tweener pitching sensation he knew from his ill-fated relationship with her mom, when he realizes the kids really deserve more than the shellacking they received in their debut to the much-hated rivals, the Yankees led by Roy Bullock (Kinnear substituting yuppie weaseldom from Vic Morrow's gruff general bullying) who wants Buttermaker to take a hike.

Also tacked on is grungy trouble making Kelly Leak (Jeff Davies) who Bullock can't stomach but proves to be a true athlete in power-hitting and displaying a keen touch for the outfield to boot as Buttermaker suddenly realizes the Bears may actually have a shot at the championship title.

The film pretty much stays fast and loose but connect-the-dots similar to its original (even in an uncanny shot-by-shot of Leak's batting practice homer gliding into an actual game!) Not necessarily a bad thing but even though the screenwriters give Buttermaker a more active sexual life (sporting a bodacious babe here and there and even taking the kids to Hooters for a post-game celebration is inspired) it makes one wonder where it could've gone had they gone the R-rated route (which frankly the original came close to skirting as well).

Thornton's sardonic Southern fried delivery is priceless – he's more chicken-fried steak than Matthau's salisbury and elicits enough contempt to distill the easily found treacle bubbling below (making the kids into winners) and Linklater, a personal fave of mine, seems to have found a unique niche: making kid films adult friendly.

While it isn't an instant classic like the first flick – I blame that for the frankly carbon copies of the kids shown here – to wit, Tatum O'Neal actually emoted as Amanda in the '76 version! - (hell the Tanner kid looks and sounds just like the first one's! it's scary!) but they seem to be having a ball. Not a homer but more like a ground rule double that had triple written all over it.

Billy Bob is no Walter Matthau and this tepid remake of the 70's semi-classic comedy with the terrific Tatum O'Neal is also not nearly as good as the original in any way.

Billy Bob could have slept his way through this dud(maybe he did), as his flaky, drunk, cursing, sleazy, womanizing Buttermaker coach role was just the way he is in real life. The filmmaker obviously hired him for his Bad Santa "presence" and surely not for anything else, as his trashy bad boy act is wearing pretty thin these days as he "plays" it in every film he is in. Maybe filmmakers just love it, but it is really getting old and worn, especially in this film that got no spark at all from his lead character. It just was just plain flat all the way to the end.

The only thing that made me stay to the end was the kids, as their typical rowdy and funny antics were by far the best thing in this movie. Marcia Gay Harden was sabotaged by a dumb part as a hypocritical super-mom, and Greg Kinnear was way too bland and fair-minded for his All-American dad role as an opposing coach of the best team. He played exactly like Pat Boone would have played it, with not nearly enough yin, "win at all costs" opposition to the yang Billy Bob part. Vic Morrow, with his great underlying but veiled "kill or be killed" menace, was so much better in the original it is beyond comparison.

Finally, there was no essential dramatic tension anywhere in the story, even in the final championship game. No good film will ever be made without it. Blah, boring, dull, vapid, banal, ho hum...how many more pejoratives are there for this sorry loser that should have never been made?

See the original instead. Save money and have a way better time.