Bad News Bears

Morris Buttermaker is a once-promising baseball player whose career took a nosedive after being booted from the pros for assaulting an umpire. Now reduced to being an exterminator and a crude flirt, he finds himself tasked with coaching the Bears, a lackluster children’s baseball team. Hired by Liz Whitewood, Buttermaker faces the daunting challenge of transforming the team’s absolutely dismal performance. Their inaugural game is a disaster, leading to a forfeit without a single out being made. Initially disheartened, the team contemplates quitting, but Buttermaker steps up, pledging to become a more effective coach.

Among the players is Amanda Wurlitzer, the talented 12-year-old daughter of one of Buttermaker’s former flames, who, after some persuasion, joins the team. In addition, the rebellious yet capable hitter Kelly Leak adds some spark to the Bears, and to everyone’s surprise, they begin to rack up wins. Before the championship match, Liz and Buttermaker celebrate their success, culminating in a romantic encounter that is unintentionally witnessed by her son, Toby, who plays on the team.

As the championship game unfolds, tensions escalate when a shoving incident involving Amanda ignites a brawl between the Bears and the Yankees. A critical moment occurs when Yankees’ coach Ray Bullock instructs his son Joey to walk one of the Bears’ best hitters, Mike Engleberg, but things go south when Joey nearly hits Mike instead. In retaliation, Joey throws Mike an easy pitch, allowing him to launch a home run. With a crucial change in strategy, Buttermaker makes the risky decision to replace some star players with benchwarmers, a move that sees the Bears trailing in the final innings.

With urgency mounting and only two outs left, Bear player Garo brings in two runs, attempting to tie the game as he races towards home plate. However, in a nail-biting close call, he is tagged out, resulting in the Bears’ heartbreaking 8–7 loss in the championship. Despite the defeat, Buttermaker shares non-alcoholic beer with the team, and amid cheers and laughter as they soak each other in celebration, they find joy in their journey together—realizing that sometimes, the effort matters more than the win.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 20:23