7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
First of a trilogy of films takes an unflinching look at the underbelly of little league baseball in Southern California. Former minor leaguer Morris Buttermaker is a lazy, beer swilling swimming pool cleaner who takes money to coach the Bears, a bunch of disheveled misfits who have virtually no baseball talent. Realizing his dilemma, Coach Buttermaker brings aboard girl pitching ace Amanda Whurlitzer, the daughter of a former girlfriend, and Kelly Leak, a motorcycle punk who happens to be the best player around. Brimming with confidence, the Bears look to sweep into the championship game and avenge an earlier loss to their nemesis, the Yankees.
Starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Joyce Van Patten, Ben PiazzaSport | 100% |
Family | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The world was a vastly different place 45 years ago, and 1976’s “The Bad News Bears” is both a film of its time and timeless in many ways. It’s the screenwriting debut for Bill Lancaster (son of Burt), who provides saltiness and silliness with this underdog comedy about a California little league team, but he also has something to say about the ways of guardianship and parental influence. Put into the hands of director Michael Ritchie (who was on a roll at the time, building career momentum with “Downhill Racer,” “Prime Cut,” “The Candidate,” and “Smile”), and “The Bad News Bears” is transformed into a true sports cinema classic, with the helmer finding a way to celebrate the rougher edges of the writing while still making an approachable picture about baseball, offering a vivid understanding of the little league experience. Ritchie does a remarkable job keeping the endeavor invested in character and mindful of abrasiveness, never slipping into mean-spiritedness when dealing with loudmouthed kids and their learned behavior. It’s a heroic directorial effort, with Richie finding just the right tone to make a crunchy movie lovable.
Finally finding its way to Blu-ray, "The Bad News Bears" isn't offered a fresh scan for its HD debut. The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides an aged look at the feature, securing a modest amount of fine detail, with close-ups highlighting wear and tear on the characters, and baseball uniforms maintain some polyester texture. While the film wasn't never on the pretty side, befitting the underdog story, colors remain slightly muted, with greenery and blue skies lacking snap. Team colors fare a bit better, offering decent primaries, and skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is on the chunky side. Source is in good shape, with some speckling detected.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix does what it can with "The Bad News Bears," which was never the sharpest sounding picture to begin with. Overlapping dialogue exchanges and general kid excitement is comfortable, without shrill highs. Soundtrack selections are more pronounced, offering volume and presence in the surrounds, with clear instrumentation. Low-end isn't challenged.
"The Bad News Bears" was a big hit for Paramount in 1976, and the studio certainly tried to keep the money train going, creating two sequels (1977's "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" and 1978's "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan"), a television show in 1979, and a 2005 remake from Richard Linklater. Obviously, nothing touches the pure charm and itchiness of the original endeavor, which is a sharply edited, evocative gem, capturing the weird energy of little league baseball and the community of players and parents that inhabit it. Many movies have tried to replicate the bruised magic of Ritchie's picture, but it's an impossible task, as "The Bad News Bears" is a sublime, unique film that finds a way to serve its agitation with superbly scripted dry humor and richly defined characters.
Imprint #107
1977
Imprint #201
1978
2011
2017
2014
2016
1992
2015
2007
1998
2004
Remastered
1976
Cinema Cult
1977
2020
Let's Get Sweaty Edition
2008
Imprint #173
1979
25th Anniversary Edition
1992
1989
1985
2012