.
.
Movie
description |
-Billy
Bob
Thornton
Hollywood's
tradition
of
remaking
classic
movies
continues
with
this
21st-century
updating
of
the
1976
romp,
THE
BAD
NEWS
BEARS.
Acclaimed
director
Richard
Linklater
(THE
SCHOOL
OF
ROCK,
DAZED
AND
CONFUSED)
pays
respect
to
Michael
Ritchie's
original
film
by
updating
it
rather
than
reinventing
it.
Stepping
into
the
tough-to-fill
shoes
of
Walter
Matthau,
Billy
Bob
Thornton
plays
the
liquor-swilling,
foulmouthed
Morris Buttermaker,
who
has
agreed
to
coach
a
Little
League
team
for
the
paycheck.
Unfortunately
for
him,
his
assembled
team
consists
of
the
league's
most
inept
outcasts.
Gradually,
however,
Buttermaker's
determination
wins
out,
to
the
point
where
he
recruits
an
ex-girlfriend's
gifted
daughter,
Amanda
Whurlitzer
(Sammi
Kane
Kraft),
to
step
onto
the
pitcher's
mound.
The
team
is
complete
when
local
bad
boy
Kelly
Leak
(Jeffrey
Davies)
lends
his
overflowing
talent
to
the
cause.
Soon,
the
Bears
are
climbing
their
way
to
the
top
of
the
standings,
resulting
in a
championship
showdown
with
the
Yankees,
who
are
managed
by
the
ridiculously
pompous
Coach
Bullock
(Greg Kinnear).
As
with
2003's
THE
SCHOOL
OF
ROCK,
Linklater
proves
he
has
an
uncanny
ability
to
draw
out
compelling
performances
from
child
actors.
But
it
is
Thornton
who
steals
the
show.
Incorporating
elements
from
his
characters
in
BAD
SANTA
and
FRIDAY
NIGHT
LIGHTS,
his
variation
on
the
Morris
Buttermaker
character
is
another
finely
crafted
achievement,
a
reprehensible
man
who
somehow
remains
likeable
and
compelling.
The
script
from
Glenn
Ficarra
and
John
Requa
throws
a
few
modern
curveballs
into
the
mix,
yet
they
still
remain
faithful
to
Bill
Lancaster's
original
vision,
resulting
in a
crowd-pleasing
film
that
is
definitely
not
intended
for
young
children.
Portions
of
this
page
Copyright
1948-2006
Muze
Inc.
and
Muze
Europe
Ltd.
All
rights
reserved. |
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