Bad News Bears (2005)

46% of critics liked it
(143 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(74,643 ratings)

A washed-up ballplayer is put in charge of a pack of kids scarcely more mature than himself in this remake of the 1976 comedy hit. Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton) is a former major league baseball player whose career and life has hit the skids thanks to his overwhelming fondness for booze… More A washed-up ballplayer is put in charge of a pack of kids scarcely more mature than himself in this remake of the 1976 comedy hit. Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton) is a former major league baseball player whose career and life has hit the skids thanks to his overwhelming fondness for booze and women. Needing a break, his lawyer (Marcia Gay Harden) arranges for Buttermaker to take on coaching responsibilities for the Bears, a Little League baseball team comprised of a handful of hapless losers. As Buttermaker tries to groom his young charges into a winning team, he also gives them a glimpse of his hard-living lifestyle while they gear up to take on perennial rivals the Yankees and their arrogant Coach Bullock (Greg Kinnear. The 2005 version of The Bad News Bears was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who previously scripted another Billy Bob Thornton vehicle, Bad Santa. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Richard Linklater
Written By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 22, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Dec 13, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
There are many lingerings over communal feelings other directors might pass through more quickly to get to the next giggle or guffaw more efficiently.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Billy Bob Thornton is the best weapon against cute that a kid baseball movie ever had.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
More irksome is the ordained focus on plot undulation and simplistic motivation, as if nobody remembered that the first film was a social satire.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
At least Linklater isn't just picking the bones of his forebears; he honors them as they deserve.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Fortunately, in the process of pursuing a box office winner, Linklater has crafted an entertaining motion picture.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
But you don't watch Bad News Bears for the action out on the diamond. You hang out with that hangdog coach so you can catch every slurry, sour-mouthed retort coming out of his mouth. Now that's color commentary.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
Thornton is the real reason to watch. He plays most of his scenes with an understated unrepentant scumbaggishsness that makes him easy to simultaneously hate and like. It's a tricky balance to pull off, but he manages it well.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Linklater's "Bad News Bears" doesn't approach the giddy comedy of Ritchie's original, but it does inspire an attentive contemplation on the similarities and differences between adults and children in approaching the game of life.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Scatological remake of a not-so-innocent movie.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
Shirley Sealy, Film Journal International
Bad News Bears is packed with laughs, but almost all of them are cheaply won
Todd Hertz, Christianity Today
I'm not sure why filmmakers think we want to see kids put into dark situations and berated with profanities by Billy Bob Thornton.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...what should've been a fun and breezy comedy is ultimately transformed into an incredibly tedious ordeal...
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Ainda que esquemático, gera boas risadas graças à dinâmica entre Thornton e o elenco infantil.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
A potty-mouthed reconfiguration of a sports classic for our Bad Santa age. Funny stuff.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Too tame to attract now middle-aged viewers who remember the original and want to see Billy Bob Thornton play it like Bad Santa, it's still a little too raunchy to secure parental approval for pre-highschoolers.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

I enjoyed this remake of Bad News Bears, although not as memorable as the original, this film still has plenty of enjoyable crazy moments. The cast do a pretty good job and the film is pretty funny I very much enjoyed this film and it was lots of fun to watch. Billy Bob Thornton… More
I enjoyed this remake of Bad News Bears, although not as memorable as the original, this film still has plenty of enjoyable crazy moments. The cast do a pretty good job and the film is pretty funny I very much enjoyed this film and it was lots of fun to watch. Billy Bob Thornton delivers a good comedic performance, and he is perfect for the part. The film is a must see for people who want something enjoyable, and Bad News Bears delivers memorable comedic moments. Sure the film has its downside, but it's far better than the remake to The Longest Yard. The film for the most part succeeds at making you laugh, and the jokes are very funny. This is a better remake than what most people would care to admit, and like I stated before, it's better than The Longest Yard remake, which was a total comedic failure. Of all the comedies starring Billy Bob Thorn, this film and Bad Santa are his best. This is in my opinion an underrated comedy, and it does deserve some credit as a film that has lots going for it. The film is much better than most comedies and remakes for that matter, and that says something. If you enjoy the sport, and want to watch something funny, then Bad News Bears is the perfect film to watch. The film is not as memorable as other baseball comedies such as Major League, The Sandlot or the original Bad News Bears, but it's still a worthy viewing nonetheless.
Brad W

It was a good try and Thorton did a really great job as coach, but in the end its not as good as the original.
Lady D

I love the naughty side of Billy Bob and that seems to come out in films with kids, Bad Santa, Mr Woodcock .... and this one is no different. Yes this is underneath, a typical American feel good kids film, but Thornton offers that not so subtle twist!
EightThirty .

27/03/2010 (TELEVISION) Little kids with big mouths, a drunk for a mentor and a hopeless, 'oh my gosh' hopeless team. Its just the usual, 'We suck' at first flicks that gradually leads to 'We don't suck after all' endings. Very predictable.… More
27/03/2010 (TELEVISION) Little kids with big mouths, a drunk for a mentor and a hopeless, 'oh my gosh' hopeless team. Its just the usual, 'We suck' at first flicks that gradually leads to 'We don't suck after all' endings. Very predictable. Otherwise not a bad watch, although its nothing new I still like these common story-lines, its comes with laughter too by the way.
Lenny M

Child actors aren't cool like they were in the glory days. As Bruce Springsteen gets older, child actors get worse. This remake was plain awful, one of the worst remakes ever in my opinion.
KJ P

Alright... I enjoyed this movie, because the kids are hilarious, and Billy Bob Thornton plays a good drunk! If these aspects weren't there, this film would fail miserably!
Conner R

It takes the personality of Billy Bob Thorton's Bad Santa and mixes it with baseball. This was just an extremely obvious attempt at juicing more money from the latter film. It has almost no originality and does nothing for the viewer accept give you a few funny one-liners.
James A

Billy Bob really just wanted a check.
Michael G

Richard Linklater rehashes School of Rock and Billy Bob Thornton replays his Bad Santa role. This is THE EXACT SAME THING as the original, just with annoying updates that will badly date it on some unnecessary remake list that will get published at one point or another. Thornton has… More
Richard Linklater rehashes School of Rock and Billy Bob Thornton replays his Bad Santa role. This is THE EXACT SAME THING as the original, just with annoying updates that will badly date it on some unnecessary remake list that will get published at one point or another. Thornton has some amusing moments but otherwise you're just going to see a bunch of pre-teens swearing just for the sake of it.
Jose Z

A very entertaining movie, this remake I thing is way better than the original one made in 1976. Billy Bob Thornton is very funny
Dean M

This wickedly remake of 1976 version comedy is much hilarious with the Little League team. They kids make plenty of bad coarse languages as well as the coach Billy Bob Thornton.
Al S

Outragiously hilarious. Non-stop fun. A home run of laughs and surprisingly heart. BillyBob Thorton is fantastic. Comedies this good barely come around.
Bradley W

It was a good try and Thorton did a really great job as coach, but in the end its not as good as the original.
Dillon L

It's sometimes funny, but most other times 'Bad News Bears' is infected with crude and utterly immature humour that throws the likeable Billy Bob Thorton overboard.
Brandon K

Not good, not bad. Without the blonde kid reminding me of all the blonde kids in the original, though, this movie would've been nothing.
Ed Fucking H

Basically this is Billy Bob Thorton reprising his Bad Santa role, except this one is much more oriented to the kids, complete with a posi moral at the end for the kids. I did get a few chuckles here and there but easily passable.
Kevin M

Funny movie, great lines from Thornton. The kids' lines were slightly crude and sometimes funny. The fat kid (catcher) is hilarious. Watch for the growing rivalry between Kinnear and Thornton.