The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
| The Bad News Bears Go to Japan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | John Berry |
| Produced by |
Leonard Goldberg Fred T. Gallo (associate producer) |
| Written by | Bill Lancaster |
| Starring |
Tony Curtis Jackie Earle Haley Regis Philbin |
| Music by | Paul Chihara |
| Cinematography | Gene Polito |
| Edited by |
Richard A. Harris Dennis Virkler |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (also known as The Bad News Bears 3) is a Sport-drama film 1978 film release by Paramount Pictures and was the third and last of a series, following The Bad News Bears and The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training. It stars Tony Curtis and Jackie Earle Haley, also featuring Regis Philbin in a small role and Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki in a role.
This film was followed by a 1979 CBS-TV series, and by a 2005 remake of the 1976 film.
Plot
Small-time promoter/hustler Marvin Lazar (Curtis) sees a potential money-making venture in the Bears that will help him to pay off his debts. After seeing a TV spot about the Bears, he decides to chaperone the baseball team for a trip to Japan in their match against the country's best little league baseball team.
As implied in Breaking Training, the Bears had to defeat the Houston Toros for a shot at the Japanese champs. In the process, the trip sparks off a series of adventures and mishaps for the boys. A subplot involves the interest of Kelly Leak (Haley) in a local Japanese girl, and the cultural divide that comes to bear in that relationship.
About half of the original or "classic" lineup of Bears players return (many like Jose Agilar, Alfred Ogilvie, Timmy Lupus and Tanner Boyle are not featured). Three new players are featured: E.R.W. Tillyard III, Abe Bernstein and Ahmad's younger brother, Mustapha Rahim.
Cast
- Tony Curtis as Marvin Lazar
- Jackie Earle Haley** as Kelly Leak*
- Tomisaburo Wakayama as Coach Shimizu
- Antonio Inoki as Himself
- Hatsune Ishihara as Arika
- George Wyner as The Network Director
- Lonny Chapman as Louis the Gambler
- Matthew Anton as E.R.W. Tillyard, III (as Matthew Douglas Anton)
- Erin Blunt** as Ahmad Rahim*
- George Gonzales** as Miguel Agilar*
- Brett Marx** as Jimmy Feldman*
- David Pollock** as Rudi Stein*
- Jeffrey Louis Starr*** as Mike Engelberg*
- * Recurring character from previous Bad News Bears films
- ** Recurring actor from previous Bad News Bears films
- *** Recurring actor from second Bad News Bears film only
Reception
The film has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews.[1] Jackie Earle Haley considered it the worst movie ever made.[2]
Home Media
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan was released on DVD February 12, 2002 by Paramount.
See also
References
- ↑ "The Bad News Bears Go To Japan (1978)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
- ↑ "The Worst Movie Ever Made, According To Jackie Earle Haley". cinemablend. Retrieved 2017-01-07.