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The Bad News Bears poster

The Bad News Bears

year 1976decade 70sdirector Michael Ritchie

102 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Walter Matthau Coach Morris Buttermaker
Tatum O’Neal Amanda Whurlizer
Vic Morrow Roy Turner
Joyce Van Patten Miss Cleveland
Ben Piazza Bob Whitewood
Jackie Earle Haley Kelly Leak
Chris Barnes Tanner Boyle
Erin Blunt Ahmad Abdul Rahim
Gary Lee Cavagnaro Engelberg
Jaime Escobedo Jose Agilar
Scott Firestone Regi Tower
George Gonzales Miguel Agilar
Brett Marx Jimmy Feldman
David Pollock Rudi Stein
Quinn Smith Timmy Lupus
David Stambaugh Toby Whitewood
Brandon Cruz Joey Turner
Timothy Blake Mrs. Lupus
Bill Sorrells Mr. Tower
Shari Summers Mrs. Turner
Joe Brooks Umpire
George Wyner White Sox manager
David Lazarus Yankee
Charles Matthau Athletic
Maurice Marks Announcer

The Bad News Bears | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeck theme 1970s Sports Movie Month
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Half-Assed Internet Research

Origins; box office; salaries; child actors’ ages; language coaching

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:32Read transcript
  • The film is described as the first sports comedy centered on children and an early critique of overbearing youth-sports parents.
  • Matthau’s Tony, supporting Oscar, two lead nominations and ten Lemmon collaborations are recalled.
  • O’Neal reportedly recalled Tarantino’s first fan letter and an uncomfortable later request to wear her childhood Bears uniform.
  • A 9 million budget,43 million gross and tenth-place 1976 ranking are reported, alongside Rocky’s success as a sports-film turning point.
  • The child actors’ ages are listed: Lupus six, Miguel eight, Tanner ten, Ahmad, Amanda and Engelberg twelve, Ogilvie thirteen, and Toby, Kelly and Rudy fourteen.
  • The Aguilar actors reportedly did not speak Spanish and were taught their lines, despite playing boys who could not speak English.
  • Reported compensation was $750,000 plus ten percent of theatrical box office for Matthau and $350,000 plus a profit percentage for O’Neal.
  • Bill Lancaster reportedly based the film on his father, Burt Lancaster; his three screenplays are identified as this film, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan and The Thing.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Absent parents; Kelly’s family and talent; Joey’s title share; Mrs. Turner; free agency; Ogilvie’s future

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:35Read transcript
  • Amanda’s absent mother and Kelly’s unsupervised smoking and motorcycle riding raise parental questions.
  • Kelly’s family life is questioned.
  • Kelly’s unexplained resources and lack of supervision inspire alternatives involving wealth, an absent working parent or an overwhelmed large family.
  • Kelly Leak is praised as an elite sports-character name, alongside Jimmy Chitwood and Paul Crewe.
  • Whether Joey received a championship ring or share after quitting is questioned.
  • The appeal of Turner’s wife and her now-fashionable 1970 s clothes becomes a playful question.
  • Recruiting Amanda and Kelly is jokingly proposed as inventing baseball free agency.
  • Ogilvie is imagined working for Bill James and later building a major-league pitching dynasty.
  • Kelly’s revealing throw is compared with A League of Their Own, Jerry Maguire and Remember the Titans as a demonstration of athletic talent.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:17Read transcript
  • Ebert gave three stars and praised the film’s critique of American competition; a higher score is thought deserved.

Picking Nits

Kelly’s slide and safe call; pitching; batting order; field positions; motorcycle crash; league eligibility; chemistry; Yankees recruitment; Rudy’s athleticism

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:52Read transcript
  • Kelly should have slid headfirst to score; his exceptional hitting makes the unsuccessful slide frustrating.
  • Rudy’s size prompts the argument that he should hit for power and could beat up Kelly.
  • Repeated slow-motion viewing supports the claim that Kelly scored, prompting a joking theory that Turner bribed the hostile umpires.
  • Kelly should pitch, especially the final inning, because the best young athlete normally pitches; losing him in center field is considered an acceptable trade.
  • Rudy should not bat between Kelly and Engelberg; an alternative order puts Kelly first, Engelberg second and Rudy third to maximize Kelly’s appearances.
  • Ahmad is wasted in right field; left or center field is proposed despite his desire to imitate Hank Aaron.
  • Kelly should play shortstop and Tanner should move to second base.
  • Kelly inexplicably rides his motorcycle into a wall after vandalizing the field.
  • Kelly is permitted to join the league despite his earlier vandalism.
  • Kelly’s sudden lack of chemistry problems is questioned, with a defense that others feared him without knowing him.
  • The Yankees should already have recruited Kelly given his obvious ability.

Casting What-Ifs

Warren Beatty; Steve McQueen; Jodie Foster; Kristy McNichol

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:33Read transcript
  • Warren Beatty and Steve McQueen reportedly declined Buttermaker before Matthau; their glamour and coolness are considered wrong for the role, though a down-on-his-luck Beatty might work.
  • Jodie Foster reportedly left Amanda for Taxi Driver, and Kristy McNichol was offered the role before O’Neal.

Recasting Couch

Original director and Los Angeles

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:21Read transcript
  • The director and Los Angeles setting are considered untouchable.

Producer review

The Sandlot’s childhood appeal and youthful perspective

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:10Read transcript
  • The Sandlot is preferred through childhood attachment and its youthful, mystical perspective; The Bad News Bears feels like an adult film that children wanted to see.