First, let me congratulate the Spanish National Team for winning their 2nd consecutive Euro (soccer) championship. While I was rooting for the Germany, I tuned in to witness their 4-0 trouncing of the Italian team; so in a way, it was sweet revenge!
As this real life football competition reached its conclusion, I was reminded of one of my favorite films in recent years – Bend it Like Beckham. Simply stated, it is a wonderful feel good movie that in many ways was my entree into following the world of soccer.
British teen Jesminder, or Jess (Parminder Nagra) is football–loving and David Beckham obsessed. Against her parents’ wishes and cultural expectations (she’s Anglo-Indian), she spends her summer playing soccer for a girls football club, at the urging of another teen, Jules (Keira Knightley), who spotted her playing footie in a local park.
As if that were not complicated enough, she begins to fall for her coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Myers), thus testing her friendship with Jules to its limits.
I love this film for several reasons; least of which is the central cross-cultural conflict, handled with an effective amount of levity by director Gurinder Chadha.
Besides, Bend it Like Beckham is set in and around of my favorite cities, London!
So what are some of your favorite films about soccer (football)?
Share your comments below.
This may come as a little bit of a shock. I am a Brit but I really do not care for Football, or soccer as you call it.
It is over hyped and over paid. LOL I love cricket however…..
Saying that, i did enjoy Bend It Like Beckham.
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No shock. Remember I live in the States where big $$ and sports go together like a horse and carriage. I have no problem with athlete compensation per se but sometimes I feel like a purse system (like in tennis and boxing) would work. Pay for performance 🙂 Guess it is harder to do that for a team sport (?)
But I digress, all that matters is that you liked this film 🙂
I think I tuned into the finale… for about 10 minutes in total. I used to love international football. Don’t know what’s changed! Though looking forward to the world cub. Sorta!
Bend it Like Beckham is brilliant. Ahh, they were all so young!
I can’t think of many other footie related films other than … erm… Mean Machine with Vinnie Jones?
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I like this movie, Keira actually looks believable and she was still quite fresh here. Bummer than Parminder isn’t as well-known, I quite like her. Jonathan Rhys-Myers looks so different here too, he’s not the arrogant, sexual King Henry VIII yet, ahah.
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This is a fun movie but I’m another Brit who cares very little for football (especially after we went out of the tournament). Quite liked Mean Machine but haven’t seen any other decent films about football.
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What’s that lame one – I think it was a trilogy – Goal or something like that?
Soccer is fun to play but a bit of a bore to watch (for me). Nonetheless, congrats to the Spanish team for winning so overwhelmingly against Italy.
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I have kind of wanted to play it. But alas, I am too old 🙂