Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
"I don't know - maybe my parents are right? I mean after all this guy basically just runs around and kicks a ball."
Starring: |
Parminder Nagra |
Released By: |
Tri-Star |
Released In: |
2003 |
Rated: |
PG-13 |
Reviewed By: |
Kevin Jones |
Grade: |
B- |
Beckham is a not a household name in the big, self important country in which I reside. And in case you're unaware, Beckham is a British Soccer star, who quite out of character married "Posh" Spice, instead of "Sporty" Spice. That's for those of you who remember the Spice Girls - I'd almost forgotten them, despite the Beatles-like impact they had upon popular music and the world at large. If you detect a note of sarcasm in the above it's because I found this "much vaunted" little gem of a film lacking sparkle in most of the areas such movies are supposed to shine.
From the trailer, one would have expected there to be alot more rousing moments of sporting competition, and a lot of laughs born of hilarious clashes between both cultures and generations. In fact the moment featured so prominently in the film's advertising campaign turned out to be part of a daydream that our young female Soccer-obsessed protagonist has at the very beginning of the movie. For me, it went down hill from there.
As you may know this harmless, but inconsequential "kid with a sports dream" film is presented from the angle of an English girl of Indian descent who has a gift for soccer. Parminder Nagra plays Jess, a young woman who is as English as any English teen, but who also respects and does her best to uphold the cultural traditions that her parents, (particularly her mother) have brought with them from the old country. When circumstances arise that bring these vastly different value systems at odds, there are moments when it's of interest from an educational standpoint, but in terms of entertainment, laughs, heart - I found it surprisingly flat. Certainly not enough to deserve the critical praise that this film has generated or to even raise this material above the level of a routine, genial sports movie.
Pariminder Nagra offers the only genuinely remarkable performance here, and though the rest of the cast are likable enough, the script offers them little room to transcend the paint-by-number characterizations. Mostly they just perform the functions of their stereotypes. I should say that both (Keira Knightley) her soccer-girlfriend and (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) her coach and love-interest are quite charming throughout. But overall the film really didn't seem to know what kind of point it wanted to make. I suppose acceptance of our differences would be the biggy, but there were a whole lot of implausible subplots about sexual orientation running loose in this grassy playing field. In the end it was just to broad and lacking in substance to amount to the heart-felt and compelling story I was expecting. Add to this a pat ending that wouldn't quit, and I can only give this a marginal recommendation - wait for video on Beckham, because there are alot of moments of British slang and Indian colloquialisms, that require a rewind to suss out, mate.
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