The Bad News Bears
by Michael Ritchie
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Actor: Ben Piazza, Joyce Van Patten, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Walter MatthauDirector: Michael Ritchie
Brand: Team Marketing
Cinematographer: John A. Alonzo
Editor: Richard A. Harris
Producer: Stanley R. Jaffe
Writer: Bill Lancaster
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
Published: 2002-02-01
DVD Release Date: 2002-02-12
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
DVD Reviews of The Bad News Bears
DVD Review: The Ultimate Underdog Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
You know, I don't know what I found funnier: this movie, or the reasons why people gave this movie one or two stars. The language. Language, language, language. And the drinking. They decry that this film would be Rated R by today's censorship standards and I can't help but recall the other day. A trailer came on television for a violent new movie about a little girl - maybe eleven or twelve, I'm not sure how old she's supposed to be but around there - who is trained by her father to kill and that seems to be all she does throughout this whole film. And what is this depraved movie rated? PG-13. I guess the curse-words and public drinking are kept to a minimum.
I love The Bad News Bears. It is, in my opinion, one of the best sports movies ever made. In most sports movies, the children are given a passionate coach who teaches them discipline and pushes them hard to succeed, and in the end, they win the big championship, get the big trophy, and all go home winners, even their worst player is magically transformed into a talented athlete and gets his moment to shine. Not in this movie. In this movie they get something far better and shinier than a trophy. They get self-respect that is not directly derived from winning.
Someone mentioned being appalled at the Bears for their reaction to the Yankees' apology at picking on them all season. Seriously? You wanted them to accept that insincere, "hey, we beat up on you all season, just beat you in the game, now let's take away all you're pride by pretending to be the better man." If the Bears had accepted that apology, it would be as though they were accepting the role that the Yankees cast them in, as the subordinate losers. And if you weren't cheering at the end when Tanner told them exactly what they could do with that apology, then you were a Yankee as a kid.
The team also comes to accept not just themselves but one another for who they are. One of my favorite scenes is when the wanna-be bully of the Bears, loud-mouth Tanner defends his supposedly least favorite teammate, the shy and airheaded, Lupus, from being picked on by a couple members of their rival team, the Yankees. After Tanner is stuffed in a trash, because he isn't as tough as he'd like to believe, Lupus thansk him and Tanner says something to the effect of, 'well if you'd wipe your nose once in awhile people would leave you alone.' Afterwards, there's just this look that crosses both their faces and you get this awe-inspiring sense that something has changed between them and you see this look, almost sad and sort of taken aback with maybe a bit of shame, pass over Tanner's face, as though he's realized in that very moment that maybe his problem with Lupus has more to do with himself than the other boy. It's very well-acted and really something you have to see to understand.
I think the most important lesson the Bears learn is what it really means to win. Very early on in the film it's established that the children have connected in their mind winning with respect. It causes inner conflict for most of them also, as they all have this inate love of the game already built in. So, they want to play but they also want to win. There's a scene in the dugout at the final game when the coach comes to a realization himself and switches out the better players on their team for some of the worst and underplayed. Before going out, one of the boys says to the Coach, "I want to win. Please don't send me out there." You're left to wonder, if he were to sit on the bench the whole time, what would he really have won? There are so many more amazing scenes and so much to take from this movie.
One of the greatest things about this film is the subtlety with which the lessons are taught. They are there, you feel it swell in your chest at the final scene, but its unobtrusive enough that you don't feel as though you're being preached to or that you're watching some cheesy after school special.
So, in conclusion (finally) this is a great movie. In my opinion, the only *real* underdog wins the day movie. And I can't wait to share it with my children. Yes, there is foul language. And yes, there is drinking. But if you are secure enough in your parenting skills that you think, despite watching a movie about children who do both, you're children will understand that these are not necessarily good habits to pick up on, then this is an excellent family movie and I highly recommend it.
Description of The Bad News Bears
First of a trilogy of films takes an unflinching look at the underbelly of little league baseball in Southern California. Former minor leaguer Morris Buttermaker is a lazy, beer swilling swimming pool cleaner who takes money to coach the Bears, a bunch of disheveled misfits who have virtually no baseball talent. Realizing his dilemma, Coach Buttermaker brings aboard girl pitching ace Amanda Whurlizer, the daughter of a former girlfriend, and Kelly Leak, a motorcycle punk who happens to be the best player around. Brimming with confidence, the Bears look to sweep into the championship game and avenge an earlier loss to their nemesis, the Yankees.Bestsellers in DVD
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