Director(s): Michael Ritchie

Rating & Run Time: (PG) 1 hour and 42 minutes

Release Year: 1976

Join us with the Estero Bay Community Foundation in support of youth athletics, with this gem of an off-color underdog story. While The Bears may not be the most family-friendly or crowd-pleasing team of little leaguers, they certainly know how to win our hearts by season’s end. Stars Walter Matthau as a grumpy booze-soaked curmudgeon, tasked (and illicitly paid) to coach an also-ran team of benchwarmers who may or may not deserve their chance at greatness. Curse words and horrible slurs fly freely back and forth across the generation gap, and incredible, endearing performances from child actors like Tatum O Neal and Jackie Earl Haley secure this raunchy baseball drama’s place as champion of feel-good flicks abounding with tough customers.