The Bad News Bears: Hanks

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Podcast episode#346No. 362 overall

Movie year19761970s release

Tomatometer90%No. 32 of 128 tracked

Metacritic84View score

Roger Ebert3/4Original star rating

State of the raceHanks led by 38–5 · 0 ties

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

The hosts argue that The Bad News Bears is a near-perfect kids’ sports movie and a foundational youth-sports comedy, especially because it captures overbearing parents, a washed-up coach learning to care, and a team of misfit kids that feels authentic rather than manufactured. They praise Walter Matthau, Tatum O’Neal, and the movie’s ending for trusting the audience, while also noting several now-objectionable 1970s elements.

Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

In this conversation

Bill Simmons

Van LathanCraig Horlbeck

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

01The first practice of the misfit team is a classic setup scene that has been endlessly copied. About 8 min
02The final game payoff works because it threads together the team drama, the father-son conflict, and the Bears’ come-from-behind rally. About 48 min
03Walter Matthau’s Buttermaker is a defining likable curmudgeon performance with real charm. About 16 min
04Tatum O’Neal’s Amanda is unusually believable and central to the film’s emotional core. About 24 min
05The movie’s youth-sports realism and satire of parental obsession still feel current. About 8 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

moderateSome of Buttermaker’s meanness toward Amanda goes too far. About 32 min
minorThe language and casual conduct are obviously dated and would not be made the same way today. About 32 min
minorThe no-mercy-rule approach to the championship game is absurd by modern standards. About 48 min
minorCoach Turner’s behavior and the no-rules youth-sports environment are shocking in hindsight. About 32 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

positive

Opening credits / setup montage

Quickly introduces Buttermaker, several key kids, and the Yankees coach while establishing Buttermaker’s drinking.

Opening minutes

Favorite

First practice

The team’s terrible first practice establishes the movie’s underdog structure and comedy.

About 8 min

positive

Buttermaker and Amanda in the tree

Buttermaker uses a lie about Hank Aaron’s errors to encourage Amanda.

About 48 min

positive

Air hockey / Rolling Stones date sequence

Amanda loses at air hockey and gets stuck going to the Rolling Stones with Kelly Leak.

About 32 min

positive

Kelly Leak doing everything

Kelly dominates the action and embodies the movie’s most talented misfit archetype.

About 40 min

Favorite

Final game collapse and comeback

The championship game includes the brawl, Turner hitting his son, the Lupus catch, and Kelly’s controversial final run.

About 48 min

Favorite

Lupus catch

Timmy Lupus making a key catch is an emotional payoff for the most bullied kid.

About 40 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They partly agreed About 16 min

Should the movie have a nontraditional ending or a clean win?

Bill Simmons
Usually dislikes sports movies that zag, but thinks this one works because of the kids and theme.

Van Lathan
Usually wants a straightforward victory, but agrees the ending works here.

They agreed About 48 min

Was Kelly Leak truly safe on the final play?

Bill Simmons
He was safe by a clear margin and the call was wrong.

Van Lathan
He thought Kelly scored and the ending should reflect that.

They agreed About 1:04

Should Kelly Leak have pitched more?

Bill Simmons
Yes, he should have been used as the team’s best arm and best athlete.

Van Lathan
Agrees the lineup and defensive alignment were wrong and Kelly should have been used differently.

They partly agreed About 1:12

Did delinquent kids like Kelly Leak really exist as elite athletes?

Craig Horlbeck
Says the trope feels unrealistic; burnout kids were not usually great athletes in his experience.

Van Lathan
Says in his environment there were always some kids like that who were athletic and fearless.

17 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers

very favorableWalter MatthauBill Simmons: Praised as the ultimate likable curmudgeon and the key reason the movie endures. About 16 min

very favorableTatum O'NealBill Simmons: Praised as great in the role of Amanda and central to the movie’s success. About 24 min

favorableJackie Earl HaleyVan Lathan: Discussed as one of the kids whose performance stands out above the others. About 24 min

favorableMichael RitchieBill Simmons: Praised for letting scenes breathe and trusting the material. About 24 min

favorableBill LancasterBill Simmons: Credited with writing a story rooted in real little-league observation. About 16 min

neutralBurt LancasterBill Simmons: Mentioned as Bill Lancaster’s father and a possible source of inspiration for the screenplay. About 40 min · medium confidence

favorableVic MorrowBill Simmons: Noted as a strong but ultimately troubling presence because of his later death on Twilight Zone. About 48 min · medium confidence

neutralJodie FosterBill Simmons: Mentioned as an original casting choice for Amanda who dropped out for Taxi Driver. About 24 min

neutralChristy McNicholBill Simmons: Mentioned as another Amanda casting option before Tatum O’Neal was chosen. About 24 min

mixedBilly Bob ThorntonBill Simmons: Used as a point of comparison; his remake version is described as too cartoonish. About 24 min neutralRichard LinklaterBill Simmons: Referenced in connection with the remake discussion. About 1:04 · medium confidence

neutralJack DavisBill Simmons: Mentioned for the film’s poster art. About 40 min

favorableRoger EbertBill Simmons: Mentioned as giving the film a three-star review. About 48 min

favorableHank AaronVan Lathan: Referenced in the scene where Buttermaker gives Ahmad a confidence-building lie. About 48 min

neutralQuentin TarantinoBill Simmons: Mentioned by Tatum O’Neal as an early admirer who wrote her a fan letter. About 48 min neutralRyan O'NealBill Simmons: Mentioned in a Farrah Fawcett/Lee Majors anecdote. About 24 min · medium confidence

neutralLee MajorsBill Simmons: Mentioned in the same casting/story anecdote. About 24 min · medium confidence

12 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them

Bill SimmonsLoved it

The Bad News Bears as a sports movie

Calls it one of the great sports movies ever and says it holds up remarkably well.

Opening minutes

Van LathanLoved it

The Bad News Bears

Says the film is delightful and a perfect little movie that moved him more as an adult than expected.

Opening minutes

Bill SimmonsLoved it

youth sports parents

Thinks the movie was ahead of the curve on overbearing parent culture.

About 8 min

Van LathanMixed

Coach Turner

Views Coach Turner as an archetypal toxic youth-sports dad and coach driven by ego and loss.

About 8 min

Bill SimmonsLoved it

final game ending

Likes that the movie zags and does not simply give the Bears a straightforward championship win.

About 16 min

Van LathanLiked it

final game ending

Says the nontraditional ending works here, though he usually prefers a straightforward win.

About 16 min

Bill SimmonsLoved it

Walter Matthau

Frames Matthau as the defining likable curmudgeon and says the role may outlast his other famous films.

About 16 min

Van LathanLiked it

Michael Ritchie’s directing

Likes the way Ritchie lets scenes breathe and trusts actors, especially in the Matthau-O’Neal scenes.

About 24 min

Bill SimmonsLoved it

Tatum O'Neal

Treats her performance as central to the movie’s emotional and commercial success.

About 24 min

Van LathanLoved it

Kelly Leak

Sees Kelly as the definitive rebel-athlete kid who makes the film’s dynamics work.

About 40 min

Bill SimmonsLoved it

first practice

Treats the disastrous first practice as a classic sports-movie scene that became a template for later films.

About 8 min

Van LathanLoved it

Hank Aaron lie to Ahmad

Calls the 42-errors lie to Ahmad a favorite scene because it gives the kid confidence.

About 48 min

5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Youth sports as adult pathology

The movie’s central question is whether sports should be about the kids or about adults’ ego, win-loss obsession, and control.

About 8 min

Found-family coaching

Buttermaker becomes a reluctant father figure who eventually cares about the team and their growth.

About 8 min

Authenticity over self-awareness

The film works because it seems drawn from real little-league experience rather than from neat archetypes or a polished message.

About 16 min

70s permissiveness

The film reflects a looser era of drinking, smoking, and child supervision that now looks shocking but also helps its realism.

About 32 min

Underdog sports-movie blueprint

They treat the movie as the template for a huge number of later misfit-team sports films.

About 16 min

25 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

The film was made for about $9 million and grossed around $43 million.

About 48 min

Production note

Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars and called it a scathing look at competition in American society.

About 48 min

Production note

Tatum O’Neal trained to pitch and did much of her own throwing.

About 56 min

Production note

The song used is Bizet’s Carmen.

About 56 min

Production note

The Aguilar brothers were cast despite not knowing Spanish and were taught some lines for the movie.

About 1:04

Production note

Bill Lancaster wrote the script and also wrote The Thing and Bad News Bears Go to Japan.

About 40 min

Production note

The movie’s field was filmed in Chatsworth, and Bill notes it is near the 405.

About 56 min

Production note

Kelly Leak’s bike and jersey are discussed as desirable memorabilia.

About 1:12

Production note

The TV series adaptation failed despite seeming like an easy concept.

About 56 min

Production note

Bill says Walter Matthau received $750,000 plus 10% of the theatrical box office, and Tatum O’Neal got $350,000 plus profits.

About 40 min

The Sandlot

Used as a later version of the same misfit-kids sports formula.

About 16 min

Little Giants

Cited as another film essentially remaking the same idea.

About 16 min

Rookie of the Year

Mentioned as part of the lineage of kid-sports movies.

About 16 min

Mighty Ducks

Cited as another later variation on the same underdog-team setup.

About 16 min

Rocky

Used as a comparison for a sports movie whose nontraditional ending still lands.

About 16 min

A League of Their Own

Used as another example of a sports movie that works with a loss ending.

About 16 min

Tin Cup

Mentioned as another film that zags and still manages a satisfying payoff.

About 16 min

Above the Rim

Used jokingly as a comparison for a sports ending that is not really over because of later violence.

About 16 min

Bad Santa

Mentioned as the type of Billy Bob Thornton role that evokes the Matthau template.

About 24 min

Downhill Racer

Referenced as one of Michael Ritchie’s great 70s films.

About 24 min

The Candidate

Cited as another strong Michael Ritchie film.

About 24 min

Fletch

Mentioned as another Michael Ritchie credit.

About 24 min

Wildcats

Mentioned in Ritchie’s filmography rundown.

About 24 min

The Golden Child

Referenced as another Michael Ritchie movie.

About 24 min

The Longest Yard

Used as a benchmark for modern sports movies and as part of the sports-movie boom discussion.

About 48 min

10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

Craig’s remake aversion

The hosts repeatedly tease Craig for having seen or reacted badly to the remake and for underestimating the original.

Opening minutes

Youth-sports anecdote chain

Bill and Van trade stories about coaches, parents, and kids behaving badly in youth sports.

About 8 min

Kelly Leak is absurdly cool

They keep returning to Kelly as the coolest kid athlete and use him in multiple comparisons.

About 32 min

Bill’s 70s nostalgia for unsafe behavior

The episode repeatedly jokes about drinking, smoking, and unsafe car rides as period-accurate.

About 32 min

Fantasy-lineup nitpicking

Late in the episode they joke about how badly the Bears’ lineup and positions were managed.

About 1:04

Bill Simmons

“This quitting thing is a hard habit”

About 32 min

Van Lathan

“You owe me 30 cents”

About 40 min

Bill Simmons

“Kelly scored, and that changes”

About 48 min

Van Lathan

“Blow out your bunghole”

About 32 min

Bill Simmons

“The Bears won because they kept it”

About 8 min

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where The Bad News Bears is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before The Bad News Bears, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.

ON THE MIC

2 voices made the call

Bill Simmons125 tracked appearances · 56 H / 64 C / 5 ties

Van Lathan36 tracked appearances · 11 H / 23 C / 2 ties

CATEGORY CONTEXT

How its genres lean

Family4 movies2 H · 2 C Comedy49 movies33 H · 15 C

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