The film is a remade version of the 1976 film with the same name and stars Billy Bob Thornton as Morris Buttermaker, a former minor league baseball player who is recruited to coach a Little League team by one of his clients. Buttermaker's reputation as a heavy drinker and womanizer precedes him, and he initially has little interest in coaching a group of young misfits.
However, as he sees the potential in the players, including talented pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer (played by Sammi Kane Kraft), Buttermaker begins to take a more active role in shaping the team. He enlists the help of former teammate and motorcycle enthusiast Kelly Leak (played by Jeffrey Davies) to help train the team, and also recruits two players with special needs.
The team struggles at first, losing their first few games and having difficulty getting along with each other. But with Buttermaker's unorthodox coaching techniques, which include taking the team to drink beer and visit a strip club, they begin to bond and become a more cohesive unit.
As the team begins to improve, they set their sights on defeating their rivals, the Yankees, who are coached by Buttermaker's arch-nemesis, Roy Bullock (played by Greg Kinnear). In the climactic game, the Bears mount a comeback and ultimately win the game, thanks in part to a surprising play by one of their least talented players.
The film grossed over $119 million worldwide and was followed by two sequels, Bad News Bears: Breaking Training (1977) and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978), as well as a short-lived TV series.