THE BEAUTIFUL GAME (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Thea Sharrock
Starring: Bill Nighy, Micheal Ward, Daniel Attwell, Kit Young, Sheyi Cole, Callum Scott Howels, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Cristina Rodlo, Susan Wokoma
Genre: Drama, Sport
Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Runtime: 125 min
Rated: PG-13 for some language, a suggestive reference, brief partial nudity and drug references
Buy This Movie: Netflix

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Synopsis:

As an English football squad heads to Rome for the Homeless World Cup, their talented new player must let go of his past and learn to be part of a team.

Review:

"The Beautiful Game" is a flat-looking and sounding inspirational sports drama that feels like a typical Netflix movie, which is to say it has "made-for-TV" written all over it. However, once you look past its ordinary exterior, you will discover a different kind of underdog movie, one where the inspiring themes of human resilience, redemption and the unifying power of sport don't adhere to formula and avoid the usual genre cliches.

I was most intrigued by the movie's focus on The Homeless World Cup, an annual real-life street football tournament in which teams of homeless people from various countries compete. The organization's objective is to find a global solution to homelessness and bring representation to those who society has left behind. I never knew this tournament existed until know, so director Thea Sharrock ("Me Before You", "Wicked Little Letters") and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce ("Goodbye Christopher Robin", "Millions") deserve points for shining the spotlight on a worthy cause.

As commendable as the subject may be, the movie does have some problems, especially on the narrative front. At two-hours running time, it's a bit too long, and occasionally meanders and muddles a plot that should have been pretty straightforward. It struggles to balance the many characters and stories it tries to follow, and that slows the pacing down and loses some of the early momentum. But, the acting is good, especially Bill Nighy, who brings much-needed levity and wisdom, and the story is strong enough to overcome technical flaws and an inevitable descent into obvious schmaltz.

Overall, "The Beautiful Game" is a well-meaning movie that supports a great cause, but Sharrock's execution is a little wobbly. Regardless, I still found it perfectly watchable and I would recommend this movie to anyone, football fans or not.

SCORE: 7/10