The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)

Better Late Then Never

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

After seeing The Bad News Bears, I have just been in love with that film ever since my first viewing, so I figured despite the low rating on IMDb, just to give the sequels a look. So, I just watched The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and while I didn't think it was so bad, it lost it's substance of what the first one was, and that was a crappy team with a lousy coach that didn't care if they won or lost. Now we don't get to know the coach better, we get to know the team better, well, I guess we didn't need to know that much.Some of the team is back, mainly it seems like we are focusing on Kelly this time, but they want to go to Texas to win the big game in the Astrodome to win the game for Lupus and a trip to Japan or something along those lines. But the team gets a lousy coach to begin with, so on their road trip, Kelly picks up his estranged father and asks him to be the team's coach and help them practice. Of course, Kelly and his dad need some things to patch up before they can play any games.The thing that was strange to me mainly, I don't know maybe because it's a different time, but I found it strange that the dad kept calling the boys "handsome" and patting their upper legs, but I don't know, maybe I'm just taking it too seriously or too PC. While, on it's own, it's not too bad of a movie, I wouldn't really suggest this movie for the hard core fans, but I rented both sequels, so I might as well see the next one, right? 5/10

The subject is a reference to my review of the original (The "Mighty F***s"). There's no getting around it: this movie SUCKS.It would have been okay if they did this as a separate movie, and it might have found a home on cable, but to piggyback it onto one of the best films of all time was a disgrace.No Matthau and O'Neal? Are they KIDDING? What made the original work was those two great actors taking a great script and making it even greater. This movie reminds me of watching the Chicago Bulls after Jordan retired and Pippen moved on; the supporting cast was fine when they were letting the two heavyweights shine, but on their own they were as bad as those "Baby Bulls." Do we really need to know Kelly Leak's backstory? Bill Devane as his father was a miscast, but it was hard to notice because the entire cast stunk. The plot -- they are playing for the national little-league championship -- is also far-fetched, since the Bears were about having fun rather than winning, and you can only go so far on Kelly Leak's back.I wish I could say I remember more about the plot, but most of it was about how the Bears had to navigate their way to Texas without adult supervision (creating tons of complications whenever they needed to be of age for something), and it becomes painfully obvious in this film why Jack Earl Haley is a competent #3 guy in a movie, he is no Jordan or Pippen on the screen.Calling this movie a sequel is a bit of a stretch as well, as the characters, the plot, and the movie as a whole bears little if any resemblance to the original. Matthau is probably still turning over in his grave at what they did to this movie, and I'm sure Vic Morrow has done the same.A movie as strong as the original deserved a much better continuation than this one, and it could have been done.

There's a showbiz rule that you should never work with children or animals . Michael Jackson didn't heed this advice and now look at him , so why on earth did someone think a baseball movie featuring a bunch of kids would be a hit ? It's not just any bunch of kids , no siree it's a Jewish kid , it's a black kid , it's a really fat kid , it's small but gutsy kid etc who are all annoying as can be If they'd remained a bunch of stereotypes and cyphers it would have been bad enough but someone somewhere decided to stick the knife into the audience by casting a bunch of ( Not very good ) child actors who obviously attend a ( Not very good ) stage school . You might be interested though not shocked to know that the only actor in BAD NEWS BEARS IN BREAKING TRAINING who has had regular employment since is William Devane and he was 37 years old when this movie was released There's another problem and that's a heart tugging family sub plot where we see the crap hair style kid spouting lines like " I remember being five years old and you gave me a bike . I didn't want a bike - I wanted a father " I'm telling you what this kid really needs is some acting lessons . Something else is the suggestion that if people chant " LET THEM PLAY " at a sports arena people will get what they want . I'm sorry but we don't live in a democracy . Don't believe me ? then go to the republican party convention and chant " WE WANT JOHN McCAIN " then go to the Democrat party convention and chant " WE WANT RON KOVIC " and see what happens Add to all this mush poor directing where everything seems to be framed in medium shot and strange cinematography where primary colours dominate the screen and you've got a movie that rates two out of ten

How can a movie like this be made ? How come this is not an afterschool special, because it sure looks and smells like one. This stinker is so bad...so incredibly bad. Questions to ponder: Why does Kelly's Dad clap like a neanderthal ? Why is Kelly Leak so cool ? Why is there a celebration scene about getting hotel rooms (what is it with these Texas movies and celebrating otherwise normal things, see Urban Cowboy review). How are the Bears the California Champs if they lost in the title game last time ? Things I love about this movie. William Devane mugging at the camera and showing off his baseball skills (in an Army jacket no less, notice he has one outfit almost the entire movie). Kelly "losing control" and just running...running...running from all his problems. And perhaps the best scene in the entire movie, when the team gets the hotel room with the view of the Astrodome, Harpo Marx Jr. runs into Kelly's room to tell him they can see the dome from another room, and Mr. Jackie Earle Haley in all his coolness gives him the biggest "I am way too cool to be bothered by your childish excitement" look. Now that is direction !but all is not lost, Willy Devane does well considering the material he has to work with, and J.E.Haley actually went on to be in '83s Losin' It, a rather funny movie and role. And we get to see the wonderful Astrodome in all its 70s glory, although Jimmy Baio nearly tanks this one and surely makes his cousin look like Anthony Hopkins.