Bad News Bears review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal and scripted by Bill (son of Burt) Lancaster, the original Bad News Bears (1976) has had its unsuitable-coach-takes-on-hopeless-tykes blueprint copied countless times: from The Mighty Ducks to Hardball tothis year's Kicking And Screaming. What, then, can this 'remix' (as director Richard Linklater is calling it) offer? Pedigree, for one thing, with the School Of Rock helmer teaming with the scribes and star of Bad Santa. And that's got to make it special, right? Well... not entirely.

No question, this is a cool, smart and funny update, with a potty mouth that'll thrill kids (the 'shit' count reaches the low hundreds) and a schmaltz allergy that'll please parents. Keeping tight with Lancaster's screenplay, the film retains its anti-competitive streak while adding a few un-PC curveballs, like a South Park-style paraplegic who's mocked but never pitied. Trouble is, while Bears may shun sentiment, it doesn't quite have the heart needed to pump fresh blood into its formula's age-old veins. The second act shuffles along a little too close to the listless rhythms of its lurching anti-hero.

Then there's our team of misfit moppets, who don't gel as well as Jack Black's class of half-pint protégés. Sadly, it's not hard to tell that some Bears were cast for their comic talent, others for their throwing arms. Sure, Timmy Deters' little blond ball of rage is terrific ("Bastard!"). But while debutante Sammi Kraft (as Buttermaker's surrogate sprog) may be a deadly pitcher, she's no O'Neal.

Happily, Thornton slips easily into Matthau's shoes. No surprise, since he's marrying his last two roles - Friday Night Lights' weathered sportsman with Bad Santa's foul-mannered dipso. Yet you won't catch him on auto-pilot: whether sharing his game philosophy ("A tie's like kissing your sister"), going apeshit in the dug-out ("This is a dictatorship and I am Hitler!") or crowd-surfing at a `Bloodfarts' gig, Billy Bob brings the belly laughs. He's the good news that ensures this uneven remake never strikes out.

You still won't care about baseball, but Linklater's lolloping remake scores thanks to Thornton's spiky-mouthed charm. Winner.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Action Movies
The cast of Thunderbolts
Marvel fans are revealing who they'd like to see added to the Thunderbolts lineup, from Moon Knight to a major Hulk villain
Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson doubles down on never coming back as Black Widow: “Natasha is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. Okay?"
Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn on set of Joker 2
Lady Gaga jokingly celebrates Joker 2 reception and Razzie nominations: "Joke's on them. I love winning things"
Jack Quaid in Novocaine
The Boys star Jack Quaid's commitment to the bit is unmatched as his latest marketing stunt for upcoming action movie Novocaine goes viral
Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom in 2005's Fantastic Four
The Doctor Doom actor from 2005's Fantastic Four thinks Robert Downey Jr.'s take on the role in the next Avengers movies will be "pretty extraordinary": "I love watching his work"
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
James Gunn reveals Jason Momoa text him about Lobo the day he was announced as DC Studios co-head
Latest in Reviews
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Three SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads on a wooden desk
I didn't expect to prefer a coarser mouse pad, but SteelSeries' new QcK Performance range has changed my mind
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"