The Bad News Bears Go to Japan

"They never met an adult they couldn't drive crazy."

1978 1h 32m EN

💀

4.8

SKIP

🥫

11%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

3.7

IMDB

★4.8TMDB · 43🥫11%Rotten Tomatoes●31Metacritic★3.7IMDB · 3,331

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A small time promotor/hustler takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best little league baseball team which sparks off a series of adventures and mishaps the boys come into.

“They never met an adult they couldn't drive crazy.”

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Cast

Tony Curtis
Marvin Lazar
Jackie Earle Haley
Kelly Leak
Tomisaburō Wakayama
Coach Shimizu
Kanji Inoki
Self
Hatsune Ishihara
Arika
George Wyner
The Network Director
Lonny Chapman
Louis the Gambler
Matthew Anton
E.R.W. Tillyard III

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Berry
Writers: Bill Lancaster
Languages: Japanese, English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Bad News Bears Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Berry, shot by Gene Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Chihara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tony Curtis and Jackie Earle Haley and Tomisaburō Wakayama carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They never met an adult they couldn't drive crazy.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Berry directs. Gene Polito behind the camera. Paul Chihara scores. Dennis Virkler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, English, Spanish.
3Part of the "The Bad News Bears Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Berry, shot by Gene Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Paul Chihara. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tony Curtis and Jackie Earle Haley and Tomisaburō Wakayama carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They never met an adult they couldn't drive crazy.".
9IMDB entry: tt0077199 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.