MovieChat Forums > The Bad News Bears (1976) Discussion > great movie, terrible ending!

great movie, terrible ending!

posted 19 years ago by pilarp-1
80 replies | jump to latest

I've loved this movie since I first watched it, but the ending is really sad and disappointing (even if it doesn't look so at first). The members of the Bears team look happy right before the end of the movie, they're jumping, dancing and laughing, but I don't believe they're really happy-happiness is not what they really feel after the final game. Look at the moment when Buttermaker gets a second place trophy-does he look happy? Look at those kids when they face the Yankees team after the game and listen to that speech from the Yankees team member-they look as if they were going to cry. Do you really think this second place is what they dreamt about? After a year of being laughed at, discouraged and humiliated they shouldn't have lost the final game. Everyone but Buttermaker thought they were a team of losers. In the final game they had the only real chance to prove that everyone who thought so was wrong, they had a chance to be the first team to beat the Yankees and they really were able to do it (Turner was really uncertain about the final score and some actions during the game were not too fair for the Bears)! I think the idea was to make an original movie, by which I mean that in all movies of this kind someone who's really weak at the beginning gradually becomes better and better and finally becomes the best and beats everyone else, while here the intention was to make the movie "realistic" and "unexpected" and show that those who are expected to win in the end not always win...but why did it have to be shown in this movie??? I think I've never seen any other movie in which anyone would deserve to win as much as the Bears team did in this one. After all they've gone through (which was almost a miracle as they all wanted to quit after the first game), for all their effort and astonishing progress they made from the first match with silly score 0-26 to the final game, when they were at the same level as the Yankees (or probably even a little better), they deserved a REAL success, which second place was not. Do you remember what that Yankees team member told them after the match? The Yankees apologized and appreciated a good game, but still didn't think the Bears were a good team! Their situation almost didn't change! They weren't losers anymore, but still not a good team either! Some could say second place is a great success anyway, because no one but Buttermaker expected to see the Bears in the final, but I don't think it was enough for them. Come on, it wasn't fair, they deserved that first place and we all know it! Is there anyone else who thinks the final result was very disappointing? Personally I blame the one who was responsible for that terrible ending of "The Bad News Bears", because it's the only weak point of the movie.

[–] nocomputer1962 19 years ago

Personally, I like the ending of Bnb. At the risk of sounding like a sports-cliche monkey, Coach Turner won the championship because he wanted it more than Buttermaker. Buttermaker's goal was merely to give every player a chance to play; if his team happened to win, that was gravy. As a result, his team lost, but the individual players gained character and maturity from the experience, something obviously missing from Turner's championship team. Consequently, I think the movie is trying to say that being a person of solid character is more important than being a "winner." Personally, I'd rather live next door to Buttermaker than to Turner. And I'd rather watch Bnb than some would-be uplifting "happy ending" movie like Rudy or Hoosiers. But I'm guessing that most of the responders to your interesting post will have different opinions.

[–] gianstefano_2000 19 years ago

You just didn't get it. The movie started as a movie about a bunch of losers getting better, but became more than that. It turned into a movie about self respect and doing the right thing. The Bears had already demonstrated that they could play with the Yankees. But when Turner hit his son, you could see that Buttermaker got it. It wasn't about winning or losing. It was about the kids getting out there and having a good time and developing as people rather than the win-at-all-cost attitude of Turner and the Yankees. The loss allowed Tanner to throw the trophy and curse at the Yankees. What he was saying (and this is the part you seem to have missed) in effect was 'you may have won the game, but we won respect'. And in the long run, that's far more important.

Sure, Buttermaker wasn't happy with the 2nd place trophy, but didn't you catch his face light up when Lupas finally stuck up for himself. That was a true victory.

I agree with everyone else who wrote that this movie avoided a terrible cliche by having the Bears lose the game. Some of the greatest movies ever have sad endings. I would argue that this movie had a happy ending. You just didn't get it.

[–] canuckteach 13 years ago

tnx giantstef: Lupas stuck up for himself, but also made that amazing catch at the fence, to set up the possible comeback. at that moment, Buttermaker (and the audience) knew that the Bears had come out on top.

also, if you check the imdb trivia for this film, there was an alternate ending played for test audiences, wherein Kelly was safe at home.. but the audiences found a Bears' victory too *kitchy* - they preferred the ending we all saw.

:-) canuckteach (--:

[–] montrossboc-1 11 years ago

If Kelly is safe at home, it's a tie game, and the movie isn't over.

Short Cut, Draw Blood

[–] kenburke0627 12 years ago

There was nothing sad about the ending. The Bears won self respect, self confidence, pride, and dignity. In their eyes the Yankees had gone from being an invincible superteam to just another group of little leaguers. The Bears would forever look upon themselves as winners and nothing would ever change that.

[–] porfle 12 years ago

Another one that really disappointed me was the ending of FARGO where Norm only gets his duck painting on the 3-cent stamp instead of the regular-priced stamp.

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[–] BrandNewSky 19 years ago

The ending is why this movie is a classic. If they won in the end it would have faded away and eventually forgotten.

[–] axtell2k3 19 years ago

If they had won it, it would have been like every other cliched movie made, where the supposed happy ending is a must.

The team did much better than anyone ever hoped for, they struggled through adversity, and were victorious for not only playing, but competing. Remember, the players on the team were castoffs that weren't picked by any of the other teams, and they were considered the absolute bottom of the barrel.

The ending is what made this movie so compelling, and so good even now.

[–] Sweets42 19 years ago

The ending is what made the movie as impactful as it was. The look on Roy Turner's face as the Yankees scrambled to make the relay throw to the plate really indicates how it meant more to him than the players. Even after he slapped his own son, he wanted that title with every fiber of his being. With the Bears losing and then responding to the Yankees "apology" the end was very fulfilling and enjoyable. It illustrated how resilient children can be.

[–] tomloft2000 16 years ago

in the end,they won by losing.if they had won,most likely they would have degenerated into what they began as-a bunch of uncouth kids(as Buttermaker reverted to for a while).as it was,they were on their way to becoming grown-ups.

[–] hottstuff15 19 years ago

i dont think it shuld have ended any other way

[–] spazquest 19 years ago

I loved this movie. I am 34 years old so I was 5 when it came out and I remember the commercials for it in 76'. I didn't see it till it was on tv or cable a couple years later but I have recently re discovered it and I have a much greater apprictiation for it as an adult. Walter matthuaw {spelling} perfect for this role. The opening sequence is my favorite part. It brings me back to when i was a youth a played little league. Not to sound corny... but in the opening scene when they pan the field and the sprinklers are on and it's early morning, I can just smell the fresh cut grass and morning dew like when i was a kid and your senses were so much sharper. My tradition now when I watch this movie is to crack open a beer the moment buttermaker does after he pulls up in his beat up convertable. I can relate. anyone else?
great movie

[–] PencilNeckedGeek 19 years ago

The ending of this movie is perfect. It's the little league equivalent of Rocky -- wherein the protagonist(s) learns that "giving it everything you've got" is an end in and of itself.

"And in his cage, the monkey smiled with his all-knowing eyes." - Anon.

[–] hutch5859 19 years ago

This movie still had a happy ending even though they lost. The Bears won at the end of "Breaking Training" and hardly anyone remembers that movie.
"Friday Night Lights" and "A League Of Their Own" also had teams losing at the end. You don't have to win to make a memorable movie.

[–] JoeyTwoTimes 19 years ago

even Rocky loses the big fight. dumbass.

[–] spazquest 19 years ago

dumbass?
Hey beavis. Where's butthead?

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[–] f1steele 19 years ago

I love the ending. The same thing happened to my softball team, we were so close, but lost it in the last few mintutes. Then of course we had shook up a few sodas and sprayed them everywhere. But you can't always win, and in most sport movies, the main team ALWAYS wins. So its just different.

La Vie Boheme baby

[–] aknapp-2 19 years ago

I love the ending also. If the Bears had won, Tanner never would have been able to tell the Yankees "you can take that trophy and stick it right up your ass!" Makes me laugh just typing it.

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[–] tam-ed 19 years ago

Be sure to check out the goof with Tanners hair. Look just before his Yankees speech & then right as he does it. Did u see it?

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[–] janet-conant 14 years ago

Excellent movie one of the best ever made..Saw it when it came out and recorded it from TV in the 80's....No one should have tried to remake a classic. Ending was perfect but I think the point would have been more effective without Tanner's swearing or Buttermaker's beer party.

[–] ledzepp461 19 years ago

The ending was perfect. The Bears were a horrible team with two good players. They weren't the better team. That's life. In reality, the lovable losers don't always win. But they do get to swill beer and tell the winners to shove the trophy up their asses. The Yankees are supposed to pretend to be good sportsmen after mocking the Bears the entire summer and playing six innings to try to humiliate them. Had the Bears won--or even lost the game with dignity--it would have been just as phony as the Yankees pretending to be good sports after they won. By losing with a total lack of class, the Bears remained true to themselves more than if they had won or been somehow redeemed in a cliched ending. That's why the ending is possibly one of the greatest moments in any baseball film.

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[–] mouseturbator 19 years ago

People that want to re-write every movie they see really annoy me. It's the writer and director's vision, not yours. Why waste energy being disappointed by something you have no control over? Just enjoy the film and try to understand what the writer is trying to say. Just because it's not exactly what you expected doesn't mean it is somehow flawed.

[–] ejr-4 19 years ago

Great ending! And if you want to get the point of the whole movie distilled into a single scene, watch Matthau's face as he starts screaming at the kids during the final game about what's wrong with them, don't they want to win?....and then hears himself, realizes how awful he sounds, and then backs off. His facial expressions reveal his change of heart in a long take that probably no filmmaker would allow today. It's a great performance.

If the Bears had won this would have been just another trite, cliched movie. This way it has enduring strength.

[–] marcus-173 19 years ago

Great ending to a great movie. Hands down perfect. Totally motivated, exactly on a par with Rocky, and in both cases, almost necessary that they lost. Perfect perfect perfect.

You wanna see a totally unmotivated bad ending to a good sports movie, watch Million Dollar Baby.

[–] CarrieSpicoli 19 years ago

I totally agree, I mean this movie is a classic for so many reasons, but this is def. one of them. I liked best that they showed even the hero of the team can't get the win for them.

*beep* was full!- Cousin Eddie Christmas Vacation

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[–] janet-conant 17 years ago

For a long time I thought the only bad part of the movie was the last scene, but have since changed my mind. Oh the only loser in the entire league was Mr. Turner, he's lost his son, Joey, forever.

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[–] hereminton 18 years ago

Maybe when the movie was first in theaters in spring and summer, 1976 and people saw it they would have been very disappionted, as they were definitely hoping the Bears would win. I was eight then, just finishing and out of second grade, and did not see it. But I did for the first time later in the 1970s on TV, and then some times in the 1980s and early 1990s on our VCR. The first time I saw it I was hoping they would win the game, and felt real excitement, and then disappointment at the end when that happened. But I don't think this was a terrible ending at all, and in fact I think it might have been better than if they had won. Either way would have been allright, but this ending gave it a little bit more drama, and put it in a greater perspective than if they had won. Because the whole plot of the movie was how far they had come during this season, and to give the Yankees (who were obviously a great team) a great battle in the championship game was a really good overall ending to begin with. But I did think it was a very good movie, funny in spots, but really more dramatic, and with plenty of excitement, and would appeal to both children and adults. It got on my contenders for 100 favorite movies of all time list, and I thought it made good use of Little League baseball as well, and really incorporated that well into it. I hope to see it, and its sequel, on DVD soon.

"I happen to be a vegetarian". Lex, from Jurrasic Park

[–] Chwelve 18 years ago

I think the ending is part of what makes it a great movie. Let's face it--there's no way, with the rest of the season the way it had been, those kids were gonna win that game. If they had won at the end it would have negated the rest of the film's wonderful realism and honest understanding of human nature, making it instead just another average Hollywood attempt to remind us that the little guy can, in fact, triumph over ALL the odds (which is the easiest way, incidentally, to con eight bucks out of the little guy's wallet). The climax is a little disappointing, both for us and for the Bears--but what they accomplished far outweighs their final loss, and this puts victory in a much more healthy realm. Winning isn't everything--growth and progress are what is important.

[–] spoerl 18 years ago

The true "ending" of this film occurs when little Timmy Lupus catches that fly ball at the fence. The film would be great if the director had chosen to cut it right there, and truth be told, the loading of the bases in the bottom of the inning feels a little formulaic to me. It's precisely for that reason that their losing the game is so important. Not just because it defies the viewers' expectations, and allows the team to keep their character and integrity, but because it gives Lupus the last line, suggesting that 1) Lupus has found his voice through teamwork, and 2) Matthau's decision to play the scrubs paid off more than any trophy could ever commemorate.