Gascoigne

Now a days when we hear the name 'Paul Gascoigne' buzz words enter our head to fit the meaning of that name. Words such as "druggie, alcoholic, mad, crazy, and legend". Although he made his mistakes in the past, like anybody else, we should all never forget the amazing footballer he once was.

I personally think director Jane Preston has done a wonderful job in this documentary by making us all remember the heroics on and off the pitch of the legend that is, Paul Gascoigne. With fitting tributes in this feature by the likes Gary Lineker, José Mourinho and Wayne Rooney all sharing their admiration of the talent Gazza is.

Gascoigne talks to the camera for the majority of this documentary as he speaks joyfully, fondly, happily and at times emotionally about his career. If you are a fan of football, a fan of Paul Gascoigne, a fan of sporting heroes, then I ensure you, this is a must-watch for you.

As one begins watching, this is a very promising football documentary. Gascoigne was an amazing player and unique character. Indeed, there are many nice stories told along the good interviews, either hilarious or terribly sad. Unfortunately, irregular pace and cheesy generic soundtrack worsened what could have been great.

This is an enjoyable documentary about the genius footballer that is Paul Gascoigne. It's great to see him in a good place at the moment and he looks happy in the film. It's not groundbreaking. You are not going hear or see anything you haven't before and he doesn't get into the personal side of his life too much but if you wan't a historical account of his life , with some great footage , from the man who knows best - this is it. There are vox pops with José Mourinho ( not sure why ) , Gary Lineker and Wayne Rooney and the close up shots of them are slightly distracting but it's Paul you really wan't to hear from . 6 out of 10

If your a football fan this documentary is a great watch. Focusing on his rise and subsequent fall, featuring great clips of his England years.

It does leave you wanting more , what happened at Everton, Middlesbrough, his management career etc. Due to his talent he was always destined to be one of the greats. The film itself doesn't focus on his so called friends and how he was exploited by these friends. Even the film does have an element of exploitation, he is betrayed gurning at the camera in slow motion at every opportunity

As a study of a footballer this could have been better, as a study of a man with very obvious mental health problems it is another example of how people are still making money of the man.

Review: I quite enjoyed this documentary because it showed a true side of Paul Gascoigne, away from all the glitz, glamour and a awful lot of drinking. The director didn't rely on cheap gimmicks and clever graphics and he chose to just have Gascoigne speaking about his life, which was quite emotional in parts. I was expecting more information about his filthy habits and his troubled marriage but those subjects weren't mentioned because it's mostly about his football career. His brief but highly successful career was put on hold, after a bad injury during the 1991 FA Cup Final, before he moved to Lazio in 1992 for a record signing fee. He played a few matches for the team but he wasn't able to shine like he did in the UK. After being kept out of the Lazio team for some time, he moved to Rangers in 1995 for a record transfer fee of £4.3m and he regained his reputation as a skilled football player. He made a hand gesture whilst celebrating a goal and he received a death fret from the IRA which bothered him for some time and he was worried about his families safety but he soon received another letter from IRA, saying that he would be murdered if he made the hand gesture again, which put his mind at rest. He then played for England in Euro 96 with Terry Venables as the manager and after a magnificent goal against Scotland, he had earned the love of the English crowd again. He then had a strong battle with alcohol and drugs, which isn't shown in the documentary, and he went on to play for Middlesbrough and Everton but he was dropped from the England squad in 1998. Now heavily addicted to drink and drugs, his face was plastered in all of the newspapers as the man who had it all and wasted it. On top of that, he started to become paranoid because personal information were leaking in the newspapers, which made him dive into the bottle even more. He then found out that his phone was being tapped by the News of the World and he finally got his day in court in 2015. He continues to be an icon to a lot of people around the world, mainly for his no fear attitude on the pitch but his addiction has troubled him, in the latter part of his life and he has been close to death a couple of times. Everyone wishes the best for him but it's only him that can help himself. This emotional documentary, really does show how having everything really isn't for everybody. He will never return to the form that he was in during the 90's but he still was one hell of a football player. Watchable!

Round-Up: Its sad to see how Gazza has become, after such a successful career! I found him to be very honest in this documentary, especially about the deaths within his family and friends and how they troubled him. He finally got divorced in 1998 after a turbulent marriage which involved Gazza beating his wife for nearly 2 years and they later tried to reconcile there relationship after he faced his demons but it still didn't work out. With that aside, he still is loved by the nation and that famous crying photograph from the 1990 World Cup will definitely be a moment to remember in English history.

Budget: $1million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into their documentary/biopic/sport about Paul Gascoigne and his rise and fall in the world of football. 5/10