Gascoigne

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

"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.

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.

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

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