Bad News Bears

Director: Richard Linklater
Year Released: 2005
Rating: 1.5

Superfluous remake of the Walter Matthau baseball picture, this time with equally talented actor and curmudgeon Billy Bob Thornton doing his best to make his group of rejects play like a team (aided to a great extent by two dead ringers he recruits) and generally acting like a more softhearted version of his character in Bad Santa. The picture has a monopoly on the word "shit" since "fuck" would have earned it an "R-rating," but at least it kept the same ending as the original film. Though the kids lack in acting ability, the real disappointment lies with Linklater, who is clearly working beneath his usual standards, going for the same School of Rock-type material (although looking to me for career advice is like asking Paris Hilton to do your tax returns).