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by Scott Wyatt Published: December 15, 2005
Morris Buttermaker (Thornton) is a former professional ballplayer that hopes to make some easy money by coaching a struggling Little League team. Unfortunately, he inherits a team that couldn’t beat their own shadows. Add in the fact that Buttermaker is lewd, womanizing drunk and the uphill battle is complete. After being taunted by a win-at-all-costs rival coach and challenged by his own players, he must find a way to unite them into a team. Unlike the original, this is not one for the little kids. It’s ironic that the film is about a team of 12 year-olds but the rating is PG-13 meaning the target audience is too young for the film. The language is too heavy for this kind of family fare and some of the scenes appear to be too much for pre-adolescent children. Billy Bob Thornton steps into the role of Buttermaker and does an admirable job of filling Walter Matthau’s shoes. He successfully portrays a man who would rather drink beer and sit in strip clubs rather than hit grounders at practice. If you saw Thornton in Bad Santa then you have a pretty good idea of the type of character he gets to play here. If this had not been a remake, the role would have been brilliant but given that he’s merely imitating the old role, it comes across as a tribute to the late Matthau. The rest of the cast is merely fluff material. Greg Kinnear is the rival coach, Roy Bullock, who taunts Buttermaker at every opportunity. Marcia Gay Harden portrays Liz Whitewood, a mother who sues the Little League, but the performance falls flat. The team is a little more ethnic-balanced this time around and the performances of the kids are good but no one will ever duplicate the gold of the original team especially with some of the raunchy situations the new team finds itself in this time out. Director, Richard Linklater, does a decent job at trying to milk the comedy with this remake. Although it doesn’t hold a candle to talented spin on School of Rock, it does deliver thanks to the creative freedom he allows Thornton to have with the role of Buttermaker. The bonus features of the DVD are your typical fare with nothing really standing out as stellar. The Video Baseball Cards are a nice touch though for the players. While the film falls far short of being a home run, Thornton’s portrayal of Buttermaker is enough to make this a stand up double and worthy of a look. Bonus Features Commentary by Director and Co-Screenplay Writers Featurettes Deleted Scenes Outtkes Theatrical Trailer Video Baseball Cards |
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