Friday, July 22, 2005

PG-13

For rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality and thematic elements

Comedy

Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden

Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Richard Linklater

Bad News Bears (2005)

When Billy Bob Thornton was Santa, he was bad. Now, as he becomes the coach of 12 bungling ballplayers, he's even worse.

In "Bad News Bears," grizzled former professional baseball player Morris Buttermaker (Thornton) is bribed by a straitlaced lawyer (Marcia Gay Harden) to coach the Bears, a woefully inept youth baseball team. Buttermaker's got to find a way to drive this gang of 12 misfits to a championship against their hated rivals: the Yankees and their overbearing coach (Greg Kinnear). From the director that brought you "The School of Rock" with the writing team behind "Bad Santa" comes a hilarious 2005 homage to an irreverent 1976 comedy.