As a sequel, they almost had it, if the producers would have finessed the talent that they had. Jimmy Baio added nothing good to the group. With the existing players. the film could have made it, but bringing in the "weird" talent - the producers killed the movie. A gamble that lost. Sigh.

I saw this awhile ago, and one of the most memorable scenes is when the Bears coach, played by William Devane, leads the stadium to chant "Let them play!!!!" when the match was called off due to lack of time. Admittedly, this movie isn't the same as the original, as I guess Walter and Tatum had better roles to play I guess. Still, maybe there can be a Bad New Bears reunion.

Folks, There is only one group of people who will truly enjoy and think this is a great film-the group who it was intended for: those of us who were in our pre-teens or early teens who saw this when it first came out in the Summer of 1977.The tale is pretty much the kind of thing that every red-blooded American boy of that age would dream about. The little leaguers fire their tyrannical coach and "borrow" a van to play at a little league championship in Houston. To avoid spoiling it, I'll just say that this deals with their adventures along the way and the results. A "Huckleberry Finn" of the 1970s, to be generous.The overprotective parents and PC squads of today would have heart attacks at the scenes of the kids' foul language, cigarette smoking, chasing a grown woman, committing grand theft auto, and swiping Playboy magazines. But most of us who saw it at the time knew that this was over -the top and didn't take it that seriously.Yeah, an adult viewer would agree that the story, writing, and acting are atrocious. But this wasn't intended to be Shakespeare. See it with a 13 year old mind and trust me, you'll "get it." For those of us who saw this as 13 year olds in 1977, leave your brains at the door and enjoy the nostalgia and the theme song "Looking Good." To everyone else-you've been warned!

The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) was a notch below the first film. A couple of key players from the first film are missing (Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal). So the supporting cast has to pull their weight. The Bears go on a summer trip to play in the Astrodome. But they need a manger. The kids decide to leave on their own. After tricking their parents into thinking they found a manger, they hit the road. Jackie Earle Haley (co-captain of the Bears in the first film) takes over as the leader of the team. The players want a manager. So he searches for his estranged father (William Devane) to help them on their way to Houston. Will the Bears make it to the Dome on time? Can the father and son patch up their differences and work together? How do the kids travel from California to Texas? Find all that out when you watch THE BAD NEWS BEARS IN BREAKING TRAINING.A cheesy fun family film. Many of the key players from the first film reprise their roles. This film was Jackie Earle Haley's chance to shine. He was a child star during the eighties. He practically fell off of the face of the Earth until he began to show up in movies recently. Followed by The BAD NEWS BEARS GO TO JAPAN!Recommended.