Bad News Bears

( 2 )

Overview

The success this underdog comedy from director Michael Ritchie almost single-handedly spawned the kids' sports film boom of the 1980s and '90s. When beer-breathed ex-minor-league ball player and professional pool cleaner Morris Buttermaker Walter Matthau agrees to coach a Los Angeles little league team, he soon finds he's in over his head, having inherited an assortment of pint-sized peons and talentless losers. They play well-organized teams and lose by tremendous margins, and the parents threaten to disband the...
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Overview

The success this underdog comedy from director Michael Ritchie almost single-handedly spawned the kids' sports film boom of the 1980s and '90s. When beer-breathed ex-minor-league ball player and professional pool cleaner Morris Buttermaker Walter Matthau agrees to coach a Los Angeles little league team, he soon finds he's in over his head, having inherited an assortment of pint-sized peons and talentless losers. They play well-organized teams and lose by tremendous margins, and the parents threaten to disband the Bears to save the kids and themselves any further embarrassment. Buttermaker refuses, though, and brings in a pair of ringers: Amanda Tatum O'Neal, his ex-girlfriend's tomboy daughter, and Kelly Jackie Earle Haley, a cigarette-smoking delinquent who happens to be a gifted athlete. With their help, the Bears manage to change their losing ways and qualify for the championship, where they face their arch-rivals, the Yankees.
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
Bad News Bears is one of the most delightful blends of family and adult entertainment ever made. The underdog-made-good story may please and kids in the audience, but it's only one facet of the film's entertaining, realistic portrait of little league baseball. The real appeal comes from spot-on performances by Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau. Their relationship, as a grizzled divorcé and the pubescent girl trying to make him her father, is finely tuned and immensely enjoyable. Their natural stubbornness yet vulnerability comes through, helping to keep the story out of the realm of the sentimental. The entire script, by Bill Lancaster, is full of authenticity, capturing both the different personalities of the kids and the often embarrassing and bizarre world of Little League. Director Michael Ritchie achieves all of the story's drama without losing any of the innocence of the youngsters. Considering that his three previous films (Prime Cut, The Candidate, and Smile) were all distinctly adult fare, Bad News Bears was a surprising movie from Ritchie. But he brings his mature sensibility to his characters, never expecting them to be perfect but never judging them either.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/1/1998
  • UPC: 097360886337
  • Original Release: 1976

    • Rating:

  • Source: PARAMOUNT
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Walter Matthau Coach Morris Buttermaker
Tatum O'Neal Manda Whurlizer
Vic Morrow Coach Roy Turner
Joyce Van Patten Cleveland
Ben Piazza Councilman Whitewood
Jackie Earle Haley Kelly Leak
Alfred Lutter Ogilvie
Brandon Cruz Joey Turner
Shari Summers Mrs. Turner
Joe Brooks Umpire
Maurice Marks Announcer
Quinn Smith Lupus
Gary Lee Cavagnaro Engelberg
Erin Blunt Ahmad Abdul Rahim
Jaime Escobedo Jose Agilar
George Gonzales Miguel Agilar
David Pollock Rudi Stein
Chris Barnes Tanner Boyle
David Stambaugh Toby Whitewood
Scott Firestone Bear
Brett Marx Jimmy Feldman
Timothy Blake Mrs. Lupus
Howard Culver Newscaster
Charles Matthau Athletic
Bill Sorrells Mr. Tower
George Wyner White Sox Manager
Technical Credits
Michael Ritchie Director
John A. Alonzo Cinematographer
Gene S. Cantamessa Sound Mixer, Sound/Sound Designer
Jerry Fielding Score Composer
Richard A. Harris Editor
Stanley Jaffe Producer
Cheryal Kearney Set Decoration/Design
Bill Lancaster Screenwriter
Polly Platt Producer, Production Designer
Jack Roe Asst. Director
Jesse Wayne Stunts
John K. Wilkinson Sound/Sound Designer
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Customer Reviews

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( 2 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Unable to deliver

    Canceled the purchase - was promised delivery and Barnes and Noble changed date . Was to be a Christmas present not a New years gift

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 6, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews