Joue-la comme Beckham

Wow, I can't believe I waited so long to see this film. I just never got around to watching it. The plot has nothing that interests me. I know nothing about soccer (football.) I am one of those American fools that has no clue. I had never even seen David Beckham before this film. I chose to ignore the buzz surrounding this film at the time it was released in America. Enough about me.

Truth be told, it was a mistake to ignore this little piece of movie-making heaven. What a fun film. It's full of color and exuberance. I had a goofy grin on my face through the whole movie. Parminder Nagra is so sweet and lovable, you can't help but root for her. No wonder why the American television show E.R. has snatched her up. I have a new appreciation for Indian culture. Those people know how to have a good time. The wedding scenes are dazzlingly beautiful.

The only problem I had was deciphering some of the British slang and dialogue through the accents. I turned on the English subtitles to make sure I didn't miss anything. (This is not a criticism of the film!) I'm sure audiences worldwide have trouble understanding the constantly changing slang in American films as well.

This is a perfect date film. It has a great sports plot like Rocky, and a strong sense of feminism that is empowering for women. I watched it with my wife, and sixteen year old niece, and we all loved it. I highly recommend it.

Jess is 18, very smart and wants nothing more than to play football, when she joins a local team she has to lie to her parents again and again, as they would never approve of her chasing her dream, they want her to settle down with a nice Indian boy and learn how to cook.

Bend it Like Beckham is a very funny feel good movie that doesn't need to be deep and complex, it's just fine as it is. The cast are all very good and they play their roles very well, the story is simple and predictable, but it works perfectly and the script is very realistic and very funny.

A great Family movie 8/10

The title of this film nearly put me off watching it. Not being a Manchester United fan, the mere mention of Beckham was a bit off putting, however I put my prejudices behind me and I'm glad I did.

I wasn't expecting much of a film, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film sped along with me never looking at my watch and I enjoyed every second of the film. If you liked East is East then you'll love this film. OK so the storyline is nothing new, and the classic storylines are contained within the film but it's all done very funnily, and with a breath of fresh air. The film moves very fast and keeps the audiance entertained. The occaisional funny moments are a good chuckle and not some poor attempt at humour, and best of all it's a good british comedy.

Thoroughly enjoyable film about a Sikh girl wanting to be a footballer. Highly unlikely in real life but you want her to be victorious and the film is put together very well to hold your attention. Whilst the football element isn't worth very much, the film is well worth watching

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.