The Beautiful Game

I watched this with my parents who have limited enjoyment of the sport, however the emotion and character storyline transcend the sport. It was compelling viewing and had my parents cheering, up on their feet and crying at times.

As a football fan, I found Vinnys character arch very believable, knowing the amount of players and people professional sports churns out, seeing Vinny get closure from Bill Nye brought a tear to my eye.

This film has given me some faith in the recent slew of netflix movies and given me reason to continue my subscription.

I have since watching read that this is somewhat rooted in the real homeless world Cup, with several ex players and coaches being involved. Personally this film has drawn much needed attention to a well worth social topic hence my review.

The Beautiful Game is a perfect Netflix movie because of its pure formula in every way. It's not a bad thing though as it's a heartwarming film that shines a light on a wonderful creation and the people involved whilst remaining easy going without really undermining any of the more dramatic moments.

Bill Nighy comes dangerously close to phoning it without actually going there thankfully. His soft presence works with any of the more serious sequences and it's nice to see the film avoid the usual tropes of having the manager coaching them against his will, he just genuinely wants to be there.

Michael Ward has the most well developed character with understandable flaws and even if he spends most of the film with an abrasive nature, he makes it feel human. He works even better when paired with the rest of the England team, who really do feel like a supportive and caring team.

Thea Sharrock's direction favours technical competency (so many medium shots) over any grand stylistic flourishes but still imbues the film with a real warmth visually. Equally vital to ensuring the film always remains a good time is the soundtrack, which chooses obvious songs for the greatest effects.

No pun intended - some call it soccer (actually mostly Americans do that. But the rest of the world calls it football - and if you consider how it is played, you have to admit it makes sense calling it that - more so than the other one (American Football that is).

But this is not about the differences - this is about the game itself. And while it is constrained and really plays in a ... well box, it is mostly about the characters, about the people involved. So while the title is talking about the game itself, the movie dives into the people playing it (no pun intended when I say diving - if you know football, you know what I mean).

This is a feelgood movie and I don't think it has many surprises for most who watch this. Just enjoy the ride and the pitch is ... yours.

I'm so glad they told this story and so glad I watched. While entertaining, it's also thought provoking. 2 for 1 deal. I've never heard of this Tourney and I want others to see this and hear the cause it represents.

We're tired of shallow movies. With this we can have entertainment and depth.

I appreciate the chance to laugh with no attempt to force emotion or make me want to cry. But just telling something that seems plucked from real life, down-to-earth but with substance that matters? I don't want to give away any of the movie but it is based on stories of real people without being the story of 1 person. The tournament is real. And I'm sure the experiences are real. The ending was not predictable and the story kept me engaged the entire time.

Overall this is a good movie that manages to deliver on the intended feel good wholesome vibe but i cant deny that it would have benefited greatly from some changes to the timing of some dialougs that makes them feel too forced at times, like Aldar's coment about him liking the sky in italy because there are no bombs in it which is a great piece of dialoug but it comes immidiatly after the reveal of his backstory in a moment that i dont think makes much sense for him to say that but had he said it in a more natural place it would have been great, like when they find vinny sleeping in a bench..