Billy Bob Thornton is Morris Buttermaker, a washed up former Major-league baseball player who has now become a cigar smoking, borderline alcoholic. Buttermaker has been assigned the task of coaching a hopeless little league team called 'the Bears'. He must attempt to guide this group of 12 year-olds to the championship game, but when he arrives for his coaching session with the Bears he soon comes to realise what an impossible task he has ahead: One of the players is in a motorised wheelchair, and two others unable to speak English. Many of the other kids also have individual faults: such as having no ability and not knowing how to hit, catch, or throw a baseball. As in most films of this genre we also see the token fat kid, who picks on his smaller teammates.

Just before the season's opening game one of the team's mothers approaches Buttermaker and questions him about the teams sponsor, but he can't seem to understand what's so bad about the team wearing jerseys with 'Bo Peep's Gentlemen's Club', stitched on the back. The Bears begin with a humiliating defeat by rivals the Yankees; a meeting with smug the Yankees coach (Greg Kinnear) drives Buttermaker to finally put some effort into his coaching, and teach his team to play together while also having fun.

He pleads with his estranged stepdaughter to join the Bears because of her baseball talent (and so they can spend some time together). The team also recruit a bad-ass kid who rides around causing trouble on his dirt bike; he signs up because he wants to beat his former coach at the Yankees. With their new star players, one of whom is a great batter and the other a great pitcher, the bears slowly begin to improve. But can they measure up against their arch rivals the Yankees in the Championship game?

Bad News Bears is a quirky comedy with enough humour to keep you laughing all the way through. Academy award-winning actor, writer, director, and musician Billy Bob Thornton is truly brilliant in the comical role of a lazy, bad-mannered drunk coaching 12 year-old kids. Greg Kinnear also puts in an entertaining performance as Thornton's rival, Coach Roy Bullock, and all of the younger cast members were hilariously funny, with all their crazy antics and clowning-around. Bad News Bears is a very amusing and entertaining tribute to the 1976 original (directed by Michael Ritchie). It bears similarities to films such as The Mighty Ducks, but with a bit more bad language from the great Billy Bob Thornton!

Rated 12A (see IFCO website for details)
Bad News Bears is released on 12th August 2005.
Bad News Bears – Official website