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Parents' Guide to

Bad News Bears (2005)

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Scatological remake of a not-so-innocent movie.

Movie PG-13 2005 111 minutes
Bad News Bears (2005) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 18+

PASS!

I never saw the original and I was going to get this for my son. I'm SO glad my husband decided to turn it on on Netflix tonight. This movie is really offensive. There are 11-13 year old boys cussing (A LOT), drinking, fighting, bullying, insults towards an overweight kid and one in a wheelchair, Billy Bob's character is a horrible role model. I would not want my son to see this before he was 16 or older. I am offended by it at 30. I think Billy Bob Thornton is a great actor but he wasted his time with this one.
age 16+

Worst remake ever

Dry humour that doesn't interest kids and the jokes r not meant for kids at all. Smoking cigars and drinking shown a lot. Dead animals. Thornton acting is horrible. Swearing and a lot of references to sex. Their team sponsor is a strip club. The kid actors used the words fag*ot and h*mo

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (13 ):

This lackluster remake of the much-loved 1976 Walter Matthau movie doesn't bring much new to the table. Nostalgic for a time when little kids uttering obscenities was considered hilarious mischief, BAD NEWS BEARS is surprisingly unimaginative, given director Richard Linklater's previous displays of ingenuity, including School of Rock, Waking Life, and Slacker. (Sadly, the film's standout aspect is editing: scene to scene, it's spectacularly incoherent.)

Basic plot: mean coach turns nice, and team comes to believe in itself. Kraft (who is quite good) and Thornton develop something like a charming rhythm, but for the most part, the film feels sloppy, riding on the lingering appeal of the original.

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