Bend It Like Beckham

The idiots on here criticising this movie for being unrealistic and silly, it's supposed to be !

This is a very light hearted sweet film, very English but harmless and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

Parminder Nagra wants to "Bend it Like Beckham" in this 2002 film also starring Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Set it England, Nagra is Jesminder, nicknamed "Jess" who loves to play soccer and is recruited into a women's team by a fellow player Jules (Keira Knightley). There, she meets the team's coach, Joe (Rhys-Meyers) on whom Jules has a crush.

But playing soccer is at odds with Jesminder's traditional Indian family, so she is constantly lying and sneaking out of the house. Joe encourages her to live her own dream, but it's hard for Jesminder to break away from what her family expects. And with her sister about to get married, she's expected to help out. When her sister's wedding falls on the day of their big tournament where a talent scout from America will be present, Jess is forced to make a decision.

This is a really lovely film with many warm and funny moments and situations. The beautiful Nagra, who was so good on "ER" is sympathetic as Jess, with Keira Knightley a feisty Jules. At one point, Jules' mother believes that Jules and Jess are lovers. A very funny performance by Juliet Stevenson as Jules' mother.

"Bend it Like Beckham" covers a lot of ground - compromising your dreams, going after your dreams, prejudice, looking butch, and the perception of women in Indian vs. modern culture. In the end, it's really a story of finding out who you are and not being afraid to state it.

This is a family film. Someone mentioned that it is bashed on this site. I really can't understand that. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is - ethnic tradition versus the modern world and a young girl caught in between. No special effects, no enormous names, just a nice story and script with good performances. Very enjoyable.

`Bend It Like Beckam' is a heartwarming charmer about a young girl's search for identity in 21st Century England. Like `Fiddler on the Roof,' `Beckam' deals with the painful struggles tradition-bound cultures must go through as they enter a looser, more freedom-loving modern world. The culture in this case is that of immigrant and first-generation Indians living in Great Britain. As with all such tales, it is the young folk who feel the need to pull away from the stuffy values of the past, and who end up dragging the reluctant older folk kicking and screaming into the future right along with them.

Jess Bharma is a fairly typical teen with dreams of becoming a world-class soccer player. However, Jess also comes from a very traditional Indian family that believes a girl should not play around with boys, show her legs in public, or aspire to much beyond marrying a good Indian boy and raising a family. We've seen this kind of set-up countless times before and `Bend It Like Beckam' will certainly not win any prizes for creativity or originality. It does, however, have a youthful exuberance and a generous spirit that can't help but captivate even the most diehard, coldhearted cynic. Parminder K. Nagra is utterly winning as young Jess, capturing all the innate optimism and unquenchable enthusiasm of this irrepressible character. She receives superb support from a cast of outstanding actors, both young and old, including Keira Knightley as Jules, her inspirational buddy who provides Jess with the opportunity to bring her dreams to fruition; Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Joe, the handsome young coach who provides lessons in love along with lessons in soccer; Anupam Kher as Jess' father, who turns out to have some of his own personal demons to deal with; Shaheen Khan as Jess' mother, who doesn't understand why her daughter can't be content with the pre-ordained life her parents have laid out for her; and Juliet Stevenson as Jules' mother, who proves that Indians don't hold a patent on tradition-obsessed parents. In its quiet, gentle way, the film also confronts the issue of racism, particularly in terms of how the Indians are often still treated as second-class citizens in British society.

As directed by Gurinder Chadha, `Bend It Like Beckham' is a light-on-its-feet `feel-good' film that never takes itself too seriously. The movie suffers a bit from a sitcom mentality, as when, for instance, Jules' parents labor under the illusion that their daughter and Jess are actually lesbian lovers. The plotting, in addition to being predictable at times, often seems contrived and excessively melodramatic (the rivalry between Jess and Jules over Joe being the primary offender). But this isn't enough to do any serious damage to the film as a whole.

Thus, if you're looking for a film that is easygoing, uplifting and comfortably old-fashioned in its demeanor and theme, `Bend It Like Beckham' is for you.

Eight? Eight for a predictable sports-based movie where the lead overcomes every obstacle thrown at her and triumphs at the end just like every other sports-based movie? Have I gone mad? Well, no actually because although "Bend It Like Beckham" is as original as a boy-band cover version, it is still a surprisingly enjoyable film which somehow manages to avoid becoming another chick-flick cliché. A solid cast add to the mix but while there are plenty of goals, there are still one or two holes at the back which threaten the side. Incidentally, whenever I talk about football, I refer to soccer in case any US readers get confused.

Parminder "ER" Nagra plays Jess, a rebellious daughter in a strict Indian family living in London. Obsessed with football star David Beckham and possessing more skills on the pitch than she realises, she is spotted by another female footballer Jules (a very young-looking Keira Knightly) who persuades her to try out for a local football team, the Hounslow Harriers. Keeping her place in the side a secret from her family, she struggles with the gaping chasm in culture as well as her feeling for her coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As her sister's wedding day approaches and the resentment from his disapproving parents (Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) grows, can she develop her skills further and secure her dream of playing professionally in the US?

Like I said, there is nothing shocking and surprising about the screenplay which manages to throw in every conceivable barrier for our hero to overcome. And despite the creaking plot, the story is enlivened by quality performances throughout. Nagra and Knightley are fantastic but Meyers lets the side down a bit. There is also a surprising amount of humour which is genuinely amusing, particularly from Knightley's mother (Juliet Stevenson) who worries excessively that her daughter is a closet lesbian. The clash of cultures does offer a unique perspective as far as sports movies go but it isn't much to offer the casual movie fan.

But that's the thing with sports movies - no matter how impossible victory looks or how many obstacles you put in front of the hero, you still watch them to see the hero overcome it all and bask in the glory they richly deserve. You already know how the movie will end but that doesn't stop you enjoying it - a philosophy that surely led to Sylvester Stallone making "Rocky Balboa" recently. The fact that the hero in "Bend It Like Beckham" is a cute Indian girl instead of a sixty-year-old meat head means that this is not your typical sports movie. Instead of guts and sweat, it has heart and brains and it's that which gives this film its rating. See, I haven't gone mad...

It's really refreshing to re-visit this film, 16 years later, lots of know British actors, the most famous of course being Keira Knightley. Perhaps football has moved on slightly for women and some cultural traditions too, but I'm sure both still have a relevance.