Richard Linklater (“School of Rock,” “Dazed and Confused”) directs Billy Bob Thornton (“Friday Night Lights”) in this enjoyable remake of the seminal 1976 comedy classic about a degenerate ex-ballplayer and the misfit Little Leaguers he’s coerced into coaching. Scribes Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who also teamed with Thornton for 2003’s delightfully raunchy “Bad Santa,” remain very faithful to the late Bill Lancaster’s original script, with a few minor (and very funny) modernizing tweaks. As Buttermaker, Billy Bob does his predecessor, Walter Matthau, proud with a performance that is equally odious and lovable. Linklater swung and missed, however, in casting the two most important supporting characters. Sammi Kane Kraft (who plays star pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer) and Jeffrey Davies (bad boy Kelly Leak) are real-life whiz kids who were chosen primarily for their baseball skills. Neither has acted professionally before. It shows. (Rated PG-13 for rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality & thematic elements. Running time: 111 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.