198. Bad News Bears (Richard Linklater, 2005)
A remake of the 70s film of the same name, Billy Bob Thornton is the failed alcoholic baseball player (sound familiar?) who is given a chance at redemption in the form of a coaching position for an inept little league baseball team. The typical journey of the sports film is undertaken and it has more than a little in common with the excellent Friday Night Lights. Not least Thornton himself. This is a different mood though, its good sardonic fun in the vein of Thornton’s other successes, like Bad Santa. He brings a fantastic world weary sense to proceedings and Linklater continues to make entertaining mainstream family films (School of Rock) as well as his indie fayre.