THE BAD NEWS BEARS (2005)

Directed By: Richard Linklater 
Written By: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa 
Based On The 1976 Screenplay By: Bill Lancaster 
Cinematography By: Rogier Stoffers 
Editor: Sandra Adair 

Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear


Morris Buttermaker (Thornton), an alcoholic pest removal worker and former professional baseball player (for a very short time), is recruited to coach and train a failing baseball team of 12-year-olds which is about to be thrown out of the league. The film already has a lot to live up to, this is a classic film. The original is even one of my favorite films.

Though in the original it was a crossbreed of cultures. This one even more so to appeal to almost every demographic out of fear of being left out or seeming politically incorrect.

Despite the remake having a higher MPAA rating than the original (PG-13 verses PG), the ratings board would not allow the remake to feature Coach Morris Buttermaker drinking alcoholic beer in the dugout as he had in the original. Strangely enough the board was fine with him spiking his non-alcoholic beer with hard liquor.

Making this film in today's climate was already going to be a tough task. So it seemed like a good idea to hand the scriptwriting duties to the writers of bad Santa that dark comedic cynical little movie that just happened to be a hit. Here they try their best but it's hard to make a film like the bad news bears today as what was deemed ok and funny would be considered controversial and wrong in today's culture. So while this film keeps most of the originals beats. It seems like a karaoke version a censored one.

The teenage romance is neutered here instead it is hinted at. The father daughter surrogate relationship is done but feels false and tacked on. They alter scenes that take the humor and shock out of the situations. The remake spends so much time trying to make Coach Buttermaker a hard edged but lovable guy who is also self destructive. In the original when he actually was decent it seemed more o a compromise or a surprise. Here you see the wheels turning.

It also lacks the bonding scenes with the kids really relating to each other and becoming a team. Here it seems more forced then anything and they just seem to show up. Never really becoming friends. --Sure the material has to be updated and I think Richard linklater was trying to keep the original spirit and he doesn't fail, but the film fails on certain levels. I will admit I probably would have liked it a bit more if the original never existed.

The film just feels like it falls short, there are plenty of opportunities for the film to explore and go it's own way to have it's own identity, but they seem quickly dropped or neglected. In favor to just go with the original plan.

Real-life baseball pro Sammi Kane Kraft’s first and only on-screen performance.

It all reeks of why did you even bother especially with the talent involved of you were only going to make a sanitized version that is almost exactly like the original which is a classic. It seems only to make a sanitized version you could maybe show teenagers. The original was strangely a family film that seems more adult in tone and intentions. So maybe it was a respect for the audience or an adult film that happened to involve kids. Where as his film seems aimed at families for kids and their parents to enjoy. Not little kids though.

I think the film would have also been better with another lead even if it was aunt casting. As casting Billy bob Thornton is inspired great casting. It also feels like a retread of his bad Santa character only with the edges shaved off. It's not his fault as this seems to be his specialty these days. But this film coming off back to back with the other films just feels like almost paying to see the same movie twice only it was better the first time in both meanings.

This film is as entertaining as the sequels to the bad news bears. Of only which one was decent. His has the same feel as those. Not as hard edged and more contrived while trying to not seem like a cash In. He own thing. I didn't expect is that this film feels like it has more homegrown heart though more of a product and any depth the film has I believe really belongs to director Richard Linklater who seem to try and give the film a homegrown feel with a bit of gloss.

I believe if you are not familiar with the original the better your chances of enjoying this one. Of you are familiar, this or will ultimately be disappointing, but at least you can show your kids this one.

Grade: C