BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2002) - Movie Review

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Archie Panjabi, Anupam Kher, Juliet Stevenson
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Writer: Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra, Paul Mayeda Berges
Runtime: 112 min
Rated: Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

West London teenager Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) dreams of having a professional football career, even though her parents are determined that she study to be a lawyer. When she is invited by local girl Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) to join a women's football team, Jess jumps at the chance, and the team's coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is impressed with her abilities. With Jess and Jules on board, the team begins a winning streak which puts them on track for the finals. However, in the face of continued opposition from her family, and after a falling-out with Jules, Jess is forced to reconsider her future in the game.

Review:

In today's cinematic landscape dominated by "woke" and "anti-woke" agendas, films like the 2002 culture clash soccer comedy "Bend It Like Beckham" are a forgotten remnant of a time when progressive issues could be effectively presented in movies without pandering or sparking all-out Internet wars. What a refreshing blast from the past that is still, if not more, relevant today !

Co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha ("Blinded by the Light", "Viceroy's House"), the film is made with pure passion, absolute honesty, and a wicked sense of humor. Parminder Nagra ("ER", "The Blacklist") and Keira Knightley star as Jess and Jules, an Indian-British woman and a white woman, both fighting against societal norms for a chance to fulfill their dream of playing professional soccer. While both are prejudiced because of their gender, Jess has the added burden of dealing with race discrimination, and an overbearing Punjabi family who would rather see her married than kicking a ball around a grassy field all day. Both Nagra and Knightley give enchanting performances in breakout roles that are the movie's heart and soul.

Although marketed as a "chick flick" for commercial reasons, the movie actually works very well on so many levels. It's a "girl power" movie, a coming-of-age story, an underdog sports drama, a teen comedy, a social satire, and a romcom. It's actually impressive how well Chadha navigates all these different elements, without either falling on the preachy side, or being too shallow. She manages to find that middle ground where important issues are explored in a way that can be entertaining, as well as affecting, and relevant without hitting you over the head with the social commentary.

With a great cast, an extraordinary, eclectic soundtrack, a clever and nuanced script and assured direction, "Bend It Like Beckham" is great light-hearted fun, earnest and uplifting, without being devoid of substance. It is definitely one of the better feel-good movies of the past couple of decades.

SCORE: 8/10