Marc Seguy’s blog

Focus It
Like Beckham
(2002) / Comedy-Drama
MPAA Rated: PG-13 for language and
sexual content

Tournament culture: 110 min.
Cast: Parminder K. Nagra,
Keira Knightly, Jonathon Rhys-Myers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi
Mr Big: Gurinder Chadha
Screenplay: Gurinder Chadha,
Paul Mayeda Berges, Guljit Bindra

Bend
It Like Beckham

derives its name in similar fashion as the American
basketball film

Like Mike,

from a phrase regarding Manchester United
soccer (aka football, as it's known outside of the United States) player David
Beckham, "No one can bend a ball like Beckham," an allusion to his prowess
with the mastery of physics during the free kick.  It's a feel good movie
through and through, and along those lines a very successful one, despite the
fact that it is, at heart, the same clichéd coming-of-age sports film you've
seen in various guises many times before. 

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Parminder K. Nagra (


Ella
Enchanted


) gives a very nice performance as Jess, the Indian girl with
big dreams of becoming a professional women's soccer player.  Her parents are
not approving of her move to join a local girls league, as she should be
concentrating on going to college, especially when there are so few athletes
of Indian descent playing the sport professionally, and even less so, women. 
Her parents forbid Jess from playing, but she is stubborn, and takes the field
anyway.  She keeps getting into trouble, some of them having nothing to do
with defying her parents wishes, as she has been spotted making goo-goo eyes
at the fetching Irish team coach (Rhys-Myers,


Velvet Goldmine


). 
Familiar pressures soon get the best of her, and soon she must make a final
decision whether to pursue her dreams or hang up the cleats for good.

With its marriage of British and Indian sensibilities, which itself is
becoming quite common these days,

Bend It Like Beckham

is another
hybrid comedy mixing the culture clash with a genre movie, here the sports
film.  It's certainly entertaining, with very likeable actors, a killer
soundtrack, and lots of well-shot soccer action.  There isn't much drama when
the team takes the field, as it's never really important whether the team wins
or loses, just how well the individual players perform for the scout, which
may or may not appear during any of the games.  The real conflicts of the film
come between Jess and her family, as well as with her best friend, Jules (Knightley,


Love Actually


), both
vying for the attention of the coach.  Neither situation is particularly
compelling enough to center a movie around, but we enjoy the colorful
characters enough to maintain interest in their plights, and the good cheer is
infectious enough to win you over.

Bend It Like Beckham

is likely to please fans of the sport, David
Beckham, and British films with Indian sensibilities.  It isn't really a
must-see film, as the freshness factor isn't high, as well as the subject
matter being relatively shallow.  Still, if making you smile is its ultimate
goal,

Beckham

scores it with ease.

Qwipster's rating
:

©

2002 Vince Leo