Gascoigne

"Gascoigne" is a Documentary in which we watch the intimate and heartbreaking life of one of England's most talented and troubled footballers, Paul Gascoigne.

I found this documentary very interesting since it did a great job of showcasing Gascoigne's undeniable football talent, particularly his memorable moments in the 1990 World Cup, where he captured the hearts of fans with his skill and charisma. Also it takes us through his journey, from his working-class roots to becoming an international sensation, highlighting both the glory and the darker side of his career. However it stands out from his personal battles, particularly his struggles with addiction and the pressure of living in the public eye. The documentary succeeds in painting a poignant picture of Gascoigne's life, it sometimes feels like it skims over certain aspects, leaving some unanswered questions about his personal relationships and long-term impact on English football. To sum up, I have to say that "Gascoigne" is an interesting and emotional documentary that offered some insight into the life of a footballing genius whose talent was overshadowed by his personal demons, and I recommend every football fan to watch it.

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.

Having been born in 1990, I have very little, if any, solid memories of Paul Gascoigne on a football field. Sadly for me I seem to know more about his off the field problems that I did of his actual football career.

This documentary is narrated by Paul Gascoigne himself, he talks us through his club career, England career and some of his personal off the field moments. I would have liked to have heard more about his personal life but sadly he didn't really delve into that in much depth, however when he did he seemed to get very upset – making it quite uncomfortable and upsetting to view. I wouldn't give it a lesser rating based on the fact that he didn't talk about his private life as it quite clear he wanted to focus on his football career (England in particular). Seeing Paul talk about England with such fondness and joy was refreshing to see, he saw it as the greatest honour to represent his country and you get the impression that those memories mean more to him than anything else.

The documentary has appearances from a few other faces in football, Gary Lineker offering the majority of the support with Wayne Rooney and even Jose Mourinho (for some unknown reason?) giving their input on Pauls story. The editing starts to get quite irritating the more the film goes on, the use of slow motion shots are a little BT Sport esc and are cringey to see the least. Slow motion scenes of Gary Lineker laughing hysterically, while staring past the camera into the distance and then running his hands through his quiff start to get tiresome when they use it for the 10th time in less than an hour.

Overall this documentary isn't without its negatives but I did find it to be very entertaining, I hadn't really seen an recap of Paul Gascoignes football career and with me having very few memories of his playing days, I found myself quite hooked while watching this. He is clearly a very troubled man and the joy you could see he got from reliving this football days were quite special to see. He came across quite a humble man who seems to have been battling his demons since he was a very young boy, it is such a shame.

8/10

A trip down memory lane well worth the watch, especially when you remember the events described in this documentary. Gaza was a briliant player in a time when football wasn't all about money as it is today. Football the way it should be in my opinion.