The month of November is halfway over, and Netflix is preparing to make some changes to the streaming catalog. Some major films and shows will leave while others will arrive ahead of the holiday season. One example of the films leaving is Bad News Bears, the story of a baseball team full of misfits and their down on his luck coach.
According to a press release from the streaming giant, the 2005 remake starring Billy Bob Thornton will leave on Nov. 30. Several other prominent titles will also exit, including Anaconda, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, The Bachelor: Season 13, Diana: In Her Own Words, Gridiron Gang and National Security among others. George Clooney’s heist movies (Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen) are also departing.
Videos by PopCulture.com
A remake of the 1976 film starring Walter Matthau, 2005’s Bad News Bears stars Thornton and Greg Kinnear in key roles. Thornton played coach Morris Buttermaker, the aging minor league player who has led his misfit team to success in a competitive little league. While viewers and critics alike loved the original, they had very different opinions about the remake. The 2005 version of Bad News Bears registered scores in the 40s from both critics and audiences alike.
“This too-faithful remake aims low for laughs, turning off the easily offendable; despite another lovably irascible contribution by Thornton, it lacks the ensemble strength and originality of the 1976 version,” says Rotten Tomatoes. Similarly, one critic said that an issue with the 2005 remake is that Thornton “simply does not look haggard, washed-up or miserable enough to be a believable Morris Buttermaker, the role Walter Matthau immortalized.”
Some critics expressed appreciation for Thornton’s portrayal of Buttermaker in 2005. They compared his acting style to that from Bad Santa, albeit while mentioning that the PG-13 rating didn’t truly allow Thornton to be as crass. “It’s no Bad Santa, but it’s fun,” a reviewer from The Guardian wrote.
While Bad News Bears and other titles are leaving the streaming service, several others are already making their way into the rotation. For example, Seasons 19 and 20 of America’s Next Top Model and V For Vendetta are available starting on Sunday. Another option is a new Spanish crime drama, The Minions of Midas. The series follows millionaire businessman Victor Genovรฉs, blackmailed and forced to choose between paying a large sum of money to an anonymous or account or allowing innocent people to be killed at random at a designated place and time.
