Rating: 
Summary: An example of what Little League should never be
Review: This is a great nostalgic movie that could capture the heart of anyone who grew up playing Little League baseball and the memories of those who remember the film from the seventies. It casts Walter Matthau as an ex-ballplayer who becomes a reluctant "for hire" coach of a failing ball team that is trying to break into an upscale league. The plot is engaging because you can quickly identify with the struggle to turn this group of losers who are trying their best into a winning team. Eventually, with the help of a couple of star players (played by Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley) the team starts winning and gets to the playoffs. The relationship between Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal adds some "off the field" depth to the film by developing a history between them. He tracks her down and asks her to pitch for the team. When she starts pitching, this signals the turnaround for this team. Tragically, this story has a sad ending. Without spoiling the scene, O'Neal reaches out to Matthau in an attempt to restore their earlier relationship, and he rejects her angrily, throwing a beer in her face. This points to the ultimate problem with this movie. This movie is presented as a comedy and a "family film." The "comedy" is wrapped around the drunken and profane antics of Walter Mattau. I suppose at one time this kind of behavior might have been humorous, but in a "family film," having the coach drinking in the dugout, drinking while DRIVING, and passing out drunk during practice seems out of place. (After the last game of the season, Matthau hands out beer to the kids.) In addition, Matthau's endless string of profanity (and the profanity from the kids) also seems inappropriate in a "family film." Matthau is a terrible coach. Since he is only coaching for the money, he is inattentive and apathetic towards the kids. In fact, most of the attitudes demonstrated by all of the coaches, parents and players are angry and un-sportsmanlike. If these people showed up at the little league fields in our town, the umpire would eject them from the fields (I've seen it done). In an ironic twist, The Bad News Bears probably shows what a lot of kids suffer through year after year at the hands of pushy parents and coaches. This makes the movie realistic, but hardly makes it enjoyable. We watched the movie to the end, hoping that Matthau would turn around, throw the beer out of the dugout, and really start to encourage the team the way a coach should. It never happened. In fact, when another team apologizes to the Bears for being mean to them all season, the response is to "take your apology and shove it...." The bottom line is that this movie exemplifies all that is the worst in attitudes and behavior surrounding kids' organized baseball. Most parents, I hope, would not want to have their children watch this movie. I certainly don't want my kids to use the language in this film. In fact, my ten year old son left the room halfway through the movie because of the bad language. My eight year old son had one thing to say at the end of the movie: "I'm glad my Little League isn't like that." If you want a couple of great baseball movies for kids, buy "The Sandlot" or "The Rookie." "Field of Dreams" is great too, although it is a bit esoteric for kids.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm glad my little league is not like this.
Review: This is not a good movie for kids. There was a lot of bad language, and there was a lot of yelling and people were angry.
But, at the end, I liked where the team that beat the Bears apologized for being mean to the Bears throughout the season. That is the reason that I gave the movie two stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad news for the sequels
Review: This is the first of three Bad News Bears movies and without doubt the best. Walter Matthau is the alcoholic minor league coach doing his best to teach the team some baseball. And what a team. From a bugger eating boy to a fat catcher. Everyone of them with language that could kill. You laugh a lot when you join the Bears.
Rating:
Summary: Bad News Bears is Good News
Review: This is the ideal film for anyone who has ever worked with kids in some capacity. Some were probably put off by the profanity uttered by these young squirts, but why carp?Matthau was born to play this part. Good supporting cast(almost the entire percentage of that is made up of those cute little guys and gals!), and wonderful use of classical music(1812 Overture) for background score.My only regret is that the VHS version was not even recorded in Hi-Fi back in those days so the sound quality is not what it should be.Some THX Digital Dolby Surround would sure be nice!Followed by medicore sequels without Matthau and eventually a T.V. series.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect proof that the best is behind us
Review: This movie is perfect proof that the 1970's were the last era of great American film making. Nothing like this movie could be made today. Foul mouth kids? Horrors! A drunk coach passing out on the mound? Bring forth the Inquisition! A kid smoking a cigarette? Heresy! A coach passing out beers to underage kids? CRUCIFY HIM!
Walter Matthau is great as the loser pool cleaner ex-minor-league pitcher who doesn't believe in himself, much less in the team he's been paid to coach. Tatum O'Neal mostly reprises her role from "Paper Moon" as the con artist kid with the sassy banter who ends up falling for a loser father figure, adding a killer curve ball to her repertoire but not getting enough banter time with Matthau to really dominate the movie like she did with "Paper Moon" (but the few scenes she does get are good ones). The true stars are the kids, a bunch of unknowns whose banter makes the movie in a way that all of Matthau's grumpy old man antics and Tatum O'Neal's sassy presence don't.
This is not a perfect movie by any means. Because the ensemble cast is so large, many of the characters (especially the unsympathetic ones) are painted with a broad brush to the point that they are caricatures, and the progression of the Bears from total losers to winners, and the progression of Coach Buttermaker from going through the motions to genuinely caring about the kids, is unevenly portrayed. But even today, its combination of honesty and talented acting makes it arms and shoulders above the dishonest treacley-sweet dreck that passes for "family entertainment" today. And as someone else has already pointed out, it is a perfect myth-puncturing critique of what Little League has become and still is for the most part (a bunch of self-involved and often-abusive parents who miss the point of it all), while still being entertaining and yes, funny, in a way that all the sanctimonious wanna-be's inspired by this film never manage.
Rating:
Summary: Not a family movie
Review: This movie is so full of bad language that after I seen it myself, I decided to keep it from my kids. I was surprised that I liked the movie when it first came out in the 70's. I actually read the novel when I was in junior high. This movie is a thing of the past like the hippies. DON'T BUY IT.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!
Review: This movie shows that america can once again become america. The Ideas of the american dream are still there!!!! Tatum O'Neal Perks this one up with her go get'em attitude.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: This movie was revolutionary when it was first released, for depicting children who use the same language adults use, and for having none of the sentimental sweetness usually associated with movies for and about kids. These kids are real flesh and blood people, not Classic Hollywood Robots who cry on cue. The movie itself is hilarious, and deeply touching. The acting is across the board terrific, the script and direction are excellent. All in all, a great movie that never goes for easy laughs or tears.
Rating:
Summary: The Bad News Bears
Review: Vic Morrow was brilliant in the Bad News Bears. He should have been the star of the movie. Vic Morrow is the greatest actor of our time.
Rating:
Summary: Why parents should stay away from coaching Little League!!
Review: Walter Mathau is great as the cigar smoking, beer drinking baseball coach who doesn't want to be there coaching, but has to for the sake of the kids. Tatum O'Neal continued her acting winning streak as the mature pitcher of the lovable losers. The late Vic Morrow cemented his legacy by being an actor who could play some of the most hated characters in Hollywood films. Aside from the foul mouth kids, this is an entertaining comedy-drama that shows us what Little League should not be like. It is brutally frank, honest and a statement in the 70's that should have been brought to our attention, but unfortunately, has not been acknowledged due to the number of violent acts on kid's sports teams on behalf of the grown ups! Watch this movie!!
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