Bad News Bears - 2005
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By Todd Karella
July 22, 2005
Movie-Pix Best Guess:
A remake of the 1976 classic film about a washed up alcoholic pool cleaner who coaches a Little League team full of foul-mouthed 12 year olds to the championship game.

The film stars Billy Bob Thorton in Walter Mathau's infamous role of Morris Buttermaker
Remakes are never as good as the original, but how can you go wrong with a bunch of little kids throwing out curse words every few moments.

If you're a fan of the original it's probably worth seeing just to see how it will turn out in today's more PC environment.
Original Story Synopsis:
Rated PG-13
Movie-Pix Hit or Miss
Best Guess Results:
There are just too many remakes of classic films that are being made that would have been better off left alone.  This is one of those films.

The film stays so close to the original that it's imposssible not to compare the two, and the original is better. 

For some reason it's always funny to hear young children use profanity, but this film was a little too PC and even had to have a typical Hollywood happy ending.
~It's bad news for the bears~
  You know it's going to be a bad film when 15 minutes into it you find yourself thinking how good the child actors were in the original film.
  Not only was the acting bad, but there was nothing truly original about this remake.  The storyline was nearly identical without the gritty reality that made it more than just a comedy.
  Instead of being an updated version with a new edge, it was a more PC version where a lot of the racial jokes were left out and the bad language was toned down.  Even the ending was ruined with a sanatized Hollywood ending as Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Tornton) becomes a father figure and even stars drinking non-alcoholic beer.
  Morris Buttermaker (Thonton) is a down and out former major league baseball player.  His life consists of exterminating pests and drinking as much alcohol as he can.  In order to make some extra cash he decides to take a job as a Little League coach for an expansion team of misfits that weren't even allowed on the field until Liz Whitehood (Marcia Gay Harden) sued the league.
Buttermaker is in over his head as he finds out that his team is full of the worst players he's ever seen.  Not only are they a bunch of foul-mouthed terrors, but one of them is in a wheel chair.
  On Opening Day they find themselves being destroyed by the Yankees, last season's champion.  They don't evne manage to make it trhough the first inning and end up having to forfeit.
  In order to keep the kids from quitting and retain his job, the coach needs to work harder and pick up another player or two.
  His first new recruit is Amanda Whurlitzer (Sammi Kraft).  She's the daughter of one of his old girlfriends and has one heck of a curveball.  This idea was more original in the 70s when there weren't many girls playing
baseball, and Tatum O'neal was actually 12 compared to Sammi who looks like she's 16.
  The team continues to improve with their new pitcher, but it's still not quite enough to get them winning games.
  The final piece comes together when they find Kelly Leak (Jeff Davies).  He also looks like he's 16, but he's the cool kid with the motorcycle, all the ladies, and is the best athlete in the school.
  With Kelly's bat and Amanda's pitching there's no stopping the Bears.
Even though they started off with a losing record, they find themselves rising to the top where a showdown
with the Yankees and their jerk of a coach, Roy Bullock (Greg Kinnear), is innevitable.
  If you haven't seen the original than maybe you'll find this version enjoyable, but if you're looking for a good movie than go to your local video store and rent the original. It's worth the money.