Bad News Bears

The Bad News Bears is bad news! Any portion of this film that was intended to be of a positive tone and/or to make the viewer feel good is overshadowed by the deliberate cussing, flipping off, racist comments, sacrilegious remarks, and the permissive lifestyle and boozing of Coach Morris Buttermaker (Billy Bob Thornton).

This movie is a far cry from the 1976 comedy favorite starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal. In comparison, this remake is equivalent to: The bases are loaded at the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the batter strikes out. Game over! Nonetheless, I could not stop there. In researching, I found the most memorable quotes from the original and reviewed some negative dialect that probably pushed the envelope for that particular period. However, with societies bombardment today of impressing our children subliminally, we ought to be responsible parents and guardians and protect them from this unnecessary “adult locker-room language.”

Buttermaker was once a minor league player called “The Blaze” who was fortunate enough to play only three-quarters of an inning in the majors. Unfortunately, his short major league career was abruptly stopped when he “[bleep] slapped” an umpire. Buttemaker is miserable and instead of conforming, decides to consistently exhibit rebellious behavior.

Liz Whitewood (Marcia Gay Harden) recruits the once pro baseball player to coach the Little League team of challenged kids—no matter their abilities or rather disabilities—to play the game. Buttermaker has accepted with no true intention of contributing to or guiding these impressionable kids. Ms. Whitewood is an uptight attorney who has filed an injunction against the league. She also has an agenda that is sure to keep anyone guessing. Sadly, her farsightedness has spilled over into her son’s life—another over-scheduled adolescent. Not only is Ms. Whitewood shallow, but she is also turned on by the coach’s “bad boy” persona. They do have sex, and her son Toby, who is on the team catches the coach in the hallway. Buttermaker quickly spins a tall tale about how he periodically checks up on all the players.

Last year’s champions, the Yankees, are the soon to be rivals of “Bo-Peep’s Gentlemen’s Club” the newly sponsored team called the “Bears.” The rivals’ coach Roy Bullock (Greg Kinnear) becomes nothing more than an irritant to Buttermaker, who ultimately fuels his fire to rethink and strategize. And, as suspected, the two teams are in the playoffs for the championship.

By day, Buttermaker works as a pest control exterminator. He drafts the team to help on his service calls while he drinks beer and supervises. His idea of celebrating with the team for their winning games is a meal at Hooters where the waitresses sport tight shirts with large busts. If that is not bad enough, in one scene they are all singing lyrics in unison to a rock song that includes the word “cocaine.” Buttermaker also makes an inappropriate analogy in the beginning that this is a dictatorship, and he is Hitler.

Amanda Whurlitzer (Sammi Kane Kraft) is approached by her estranged father “Boilermaker” after several years. For the sake of the team, Amanda is enrolled because of her incredible pitching arm. After feeling sorry for her father, she agrees, and joins. It is clear she desperately tries to connect with her father, but to no avail. He undermines her efforts with a cold and calculating comment regarding his estrangement, “I didn’t call you in three years because I didn’t want to play house.” Buttermaker just wants to be her friend, but in the end, he attempts to connect by making plans to bond.

It is appalling to run trailers that include children, or worse yet, portray children in such a demoralizing way. Parents do not be fooled! Just because there are young actors in this film it does not give the usual go ahead to let your children of thirteen or younger view it—even with you sitting beside them. The young actors participate in swearing throughout this movie, and it is constant. I strongly recommend that you view it first-hand, before letting this sort of vulgarity enter into the ear and eye gates of your precious children. Remember, it is our responsibility as parents to inspect and check what will enter in their spirit.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/nudity: Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.