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The Bad News Bears

1976

Michael Ritchie

Walter Matthau, Chris Barnes, Tatum O'Neal, Ben Piazza ...

6.2

336

Comedy One of director Michael Ritchie’s most universally recognized comedies, THE BAD NEWS BEARS is a film that continues to entertain audiences of all ages. The story concerns a hopeless Little League team that eventually scores big when it acquires a new coach, Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), a grouchy, beer-guzzling pool cleaner who takes the position for some extra cash. When he realizes that his players are a bunch of talentless ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"[Ritchie] directs scenes for comedy even in the face of his disturbing material and that makes the movie all the more effective (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Dan Epstein Rolling Stone	"[The characters] are not one-dimensional figures with skills, personalities or motivations plucked straight from the Baseball Screenwriting 101 cliché bin. They’re complex, unpredictable and occasionally maddening"
		Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Sometimes Ritchie goes too far in avoiding the family-movie cliches the subject invites and indulges in some pointless vulgarity, but all in all, it’s one of his best films."
		Common Sense Media	"[It] maintains a level of intelligence that its knock offs, like 'The Mighty Ducks', can't approach. It's thrilling, funny, and, at times, a poignant baseball film (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Eric Vespe SlashFilm	"One of our best sports movies out of [the '70s]."

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