Gol II: Vivendo o Sonho

Firstly I would like to say that I have given this film a 7 out of 10 due to its try hard effort.

The film itself is quite stunning, the effects that they use to integrate Santiago Munez and Gavin Harris into the Real Madrid team would almost have you thinking that they were receiving passes from Raul and Zidane. Some of the sequences where the players have the ball at their feet though are totally un-realistic. I mean for example at certain times Santiago pulls off runs and tricks that just wouldn't happen in football. After around 3 step overs and a Cruyff turn followed by dribbling around two more defenders would just result in you being hacked to the ground. They seem to have made Santiago invincible with the ball at his feet, if they were to ask Cristiano Ronaldo what happens when he runs at defenders he would tell you that 99% of the time it would result in him being kicked! The film has an interesting storyline though, which is cleverly left with a lot of questions to be answered in the third film. A surprising twist at the end before the Champions League final certainly caught me out. However the story lines seemed to get tangled up and at times seemed a bit silly. Santiago seems to have too much going on too quickly, and you only have to look at the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Sol Campbell and even David Beckham, to realise that with all of the things going on off the field does not mean you are going to be scoring goals from 30 yards every match. Gavin Harris for me in this film has a far better storyline than that of Santiago. The football side of things in terms of the film got too predictable very quickly. I mean I don't want to spoil the film but at times I was left sat watching thinking, OK that was so blatantly obvious that it was going to happen it was unrealistic. The Champions League final will be a prime example of this.

I think that the acting in this film though was all around better in the sequel than the original. I think that Kuno Becker does a good job again as Santiago, making sure that the audience feel what is going on in his head is portrayed on the screen. Alessandro Nivola is superb as the ever arrogant/soft Gavin Harris, I think that Nivola does well to express what Gavino is going through in his time at Madrid, he almost makes the film feel as if it is about the pair of them, not just about Santiago. Anna Friel is stunning as ever as Roz and I think she did well in the role of Girlfriend to the superstar.

The cameo's in the film were a bit limited and to tell the truth I am quite glad. The film so easily could have ended up as Real Madrid the movie. I think that only Guti and Illker Casillas have speaking parts and even then it is whilst winding up Gavino. The Casillas part actually had me laughing.

All in all I thoroughly liked the film, as a football fanatic it seems only logical to love the film. However with some silly story lines and un realistic action they nearly spoiled the film.

What makes football great is that it is a game of opinions. It is obvious from reading some of the postings on here that some people have judged the film on whether or not they like David Beckham. Yes, he does appear in the film, but then so do a lot of the other players. Like it or not David Beckham is one of the most bankable stars in football, so it inevitable. Lets face it anyone from Arsenal (as one of the postings is from) is not going to be a Beckham fan. Anyway, as for the film, I think the makers of the film are so intent on steering the film away from the predictability of most sports films, ie player/team starts off badly, then ends up winning an hour and a half later (well you all know what happens) that it leaves out any real moments of drama or tension. What we have left is a bit of footballers soap opera. Saying that though, I thought it was good entertainment.

Not a classic by any means, but at least, in comparison to the first one (Goal!), a more accomplished film.

The game scenes were not as contrived as in the first movie, hardly surprising since some of the clips were straight off real matches.

Becker did not look out of his depth in the company of the likes of Zidane, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham -- as long as he did not have the ball, that is. In a dressing room scene inside the Bernabeu, for instance, Becker's time on the ball in a jolly juggling scene was thankfully limited to one touch.

I guess it's too much to ask for an actor who had real football skills, and I guess that realization kept the cameras more focused on the 'real' football players in game situations. This added more to a sense of realism, as compared to the first movie when Becker was scene doing all sorts of fantastic things -- corny to a trained eye.

This movie's real merit comes from the way it handled the human element: Santi's head getting a tad too big from all the media attention and from being in the company of Real Madrid's galacticos; the lover's tiff with Roz, doubtless echoed in many a professional football player's life; and the surprise of finding he has a half-brother living in Spain along with the painful reunion with a long-lost Mother.

Dramatic without going overboard, and without losing touch with the primary plot that this is a professional footballer's story.

Although I was biased towards the first movie as I am a Newcastle United fan, I felt let down by Goal! 2, not just that Munez had the audacity to leave the Toon for Real Madrid, but due to the poor direction, plot and screenplay of the sequel.

The first movie, although far from perfect, had its moments, a lively screenplay, absorbing direction and a fairly tidy plot, Goal!2 on the other hand, was found wanting in all of these areas.

The plot felt far-fetched and desperate, and the cinematography amateurish, I found the film entertaining but not absorbing, I'm sure I will watch Goal! 3 pure for a sense of personal closure rather than because of excited anticipation.

I watched the first instalment of this and after giving it a moderate rating (see my review) I thought this was worth a look.

I never had too many expectations for this film, having been put firmly on my guard after the non-events of the first and watching it with this attitude made me appreciate and enjoy this film more.

What can I say? Basically it just follows the pleasures, the trials and the tribulations involved in the life of a professional footballer who has just hit the big time after signing for the greatest football team in the world.

The story was very predictable but the football action scenes were excellent with appearances from the likes of greats such as Beckham, Zidane, Raul and Ronaldinho. Reuteur Haur took a good part as the team coach.

As usual the incredibly sexy and gorgeous Anna Friel provided the eye candy - especially in the bedroom scene wearing the frilly knickers (calm down lads), with parts of the film focusing on the emotional conflicts involved with her job as a nurse at Newcastle hospital.

Nothing too major happens but the film is enjoyable if looked upon as an accurate insight into the life of a professional footballer. All in all I would say this film was slightly better than the first, simply for the glut of football stars on view and the amount of on-field action.

This film should appeal to the football fan and non-fan alike - a good movie to snuggle down on the sofa with your beloved whilst cracking a few beers and the popcorn.

Goal 3 perhaps? Who knows?