This is under P because of star Parminder Nagra.
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Writer: Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra, Paul Mayeda Berges (Screenplay)
Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis
Plot: Two ambitious girls, despite their parents’ wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional soccer.
Tagline – Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Bend it Like Beckham starts when Indian girl Jess (Nagra) dreams of playing football with Manchester United, with her idol David Beckham, playing down the park with her friends, waiting for her time to get married like traditions sees for her.
When Jess meets Jules (Knightley) she is invited to join the women’s team she plays for under injured former professional Joe (Meyers), but she must keep her desire to play a secret, going against everything her family wants for her.
Thoughts on Bend it Like Beckham
Thoughts – Bend it Like Beckham is a sports movie that opens up doors and boundaries rarely seen in sport at the time of release, ones that are still only just starting to be taken seriously now. One side of the story is Jess needing to break the culture her family has raised her through, teaching the acceptance of wanting to do something forbidden, this side of the story, is something that is important to see, and something we have seen before, through many movies, showing the English culture mixing with the Hindu ones, causing a clash between the children raised in England and the traditions. The film will put the spotlight on the women’s game, showing first how difficult it would be to be given a chance in it, finding a team or even knowing about a team. When it comes to the games, we get the sexist remarks about the game from the male crowd, a racist remark, which gets waved off, never addressed, which is disappointing to see. When it comes to the heart and soul of the film, this is everything you want to see in a film that focuses on following your dreams and making something of your life. Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley are both brilliant in this film, with a supporting cast the works just as wonderfully throughout the film.
Final Thoughts – Bend it Like Beckham is a great enjoyable sport comedy, filled with heart.