Bend It Like Beckham (2003)

Wow! Such a good movie.

A Masterpiece!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

If you asked me what my favorite movie was without hesitation I would tell you it's this one. Sure I am a tad biased towards it as I am a female who loves soccer more than anything AND support Manchester United, BUT... even if you aren't I can almost guarantee you'll like this movie.I've watched Bend It Like Beckham more times than I can remember and I only find myself writing this review because I'm procrastinating writing my essay on belonging in which this movie is my related text. I was hesitant to analyze and pick apart my favorite movie at first but I have found my love for the movie only deepened as i went. No only is this movie funny and a perfect family movie to watch but it carries so many important messages about racism, gender equality, society and religious expectations, sexuality, sportsmanship, relationships and many many more (including belonging). Sure it had it's flaws (I couldn't flaw it but i know many people can and that's understandable) but for a small budget movie, I personally think it is amazing. and would HIGHLY recommend!!!

In a fair world, this wouldn't have had to be an indie movie. When I think about indie movies that got popular, I think about films like Juno, quirky and unusual films that came out at just the right time to strike a deep, fundamental chord with a mainstream audience. This film is not like that. It's a simple, straightforward story of two girls who love to play soccer.Then again, it is fortunate that this is an indie movie. Mainstream execs would have ruined this film. They are good at one thing: selling films to as big an audience as possible. That is not a crime, and saying it is their job, I have a hard time condemning them for doing it. But mainstream appeal comes at a cost: the soul of the film. Now I'm not saying big blockbusters cannot have a soul, but trying to convert a smaller film into a big blockbuster can drain it of what made it special in the first place.This film certainly is special. It's not spectacular- this is no MMFR or Godfather or Princess Mononoke- but it lifts itself above and beyond its genre contemporaries. The craft is excellent, from the cinematography to the use of music, and the writing is surprisingly spot-on.It is also impressively earnest. Many films of this genre have that studio sheen and professional smugness to them, as if they know they are exploiting their viewers for profit's sake. The quality of the films suffers for it. Typically, the people who write and direct these films are a generation or two older than their characters. If they care enough to put some effort into the film, this is either undetectable or inoffensive, but if they do not, things can get ugly real fast.This would have posed even more of a problem in this film's case. One of its two main characters is Indian. Studio execs have enough trouble handling foreign cultures in dramatic contexts. In comedic contexts, they are completely lost. This, along with racism and slavish devotion to traditional ideas of money-making, is one of three ways why they stay away from these sorts of movies entirely, and while that is heartbreaking and I'd love to see it change, I can't say it's comforting to see a big studio movie bumbling its way through a culture it does not understand. The end product is usually either bland and boring or, worse, stupid and insensitive.Thankfully, studio execs were not involved, and the filmmakers, who understand exactly what they're doing, handle their topics deftly and smoothly. This is not an esoteric film. You don't need a deep understanding of India, Britain, or Sikhism to like or understand this movie. But the filmmakers' knowledge informs on it heavily. They don't have to reach or shoot blindly into the dark. They know their playbook, they know what they're dealing with.This film is their baby. They put an unusual amount of effort into it. While not every sequence works, there is an air of grandeur and passion to the all thing. This is not to be confused with an air of pretension: this very much is a romantic comedy through and through. The filmmakers simply care about fleshing out their story and characters, making the experience interesting and thoughtful instead of half-baked and slapped together.The relationship between the two girls is stellar. Friendships are not often done well in films, but the playful, affirming chemistry between them is just great. While it does fall into clichés and contrivances, including a limp love triangle, its energy and fluidity and strength more than makes up for that. The way most hacks write friendships, it's a wonder they had friends at all- maybe they didn't. This film gets its two main characters and the relationships between them.If there is a villain in this film, it is binding, restrictive beliefs. The cultures these beliefs erupt from are not bad, but the beliefs themselves are, particularly when they stand in the way of dreams and hopes. More than soccer, this is a film about culture and how it defines groups of people. Jess' sister wants to have a nice Indian wedding and start a family, and that's fine. Jess wants to go to America and play soccer, and that's also fine. In an era in which so many are scared of losing their culture, this film shows that cultures are at their strongest when they interact with other cultures, swapping ideas and thoughts, helping everyone get the lives they want and strive for.

Roland E. Zwick ([email protected]) & other earlier positive reviewers have just about said it all. Except, perhaps: this is the kind of non- threatening but stealthily profound story we can't get enough of until everyone in the world gets it: girls' dreams and aspirations matter as much as boys' - and those strange others with their strange ways, are at the heart of it, just like us. Banal? Sue me for loving this movie for these reasons alone.One thing: Can whoever is in charge of the synopsis change it? It's tantamount to summarizing "Casablanca" like this: "Ex-pat American's bar gets shut down over illegal gambling."

Jess (Parminder Nagra) comes from a conservative Sikh family. Her mother worries about her daughters and maintaining a good family facade. Her sister is getting married, but her mind is on football. Jules (Keira Knightley) plays on a girls team, and recruits Jess after watching her in the park. Jess starts playing despite her family's misgiving.This is Keira Knightley's big break out indie hit. It's the start of her wider fame. But it's Parminder as Jess and her family that is more fascinating. The family traditions and pressures are at the heart of this movie. The one false note in the movie is the girlie drama with Jules getting jealous of Jess and couch Joe. It reeks of lesser teen fare. But the movie gets over it quickly and moves on. It gets back on firmer ground of family drama. This is a heart warming little film.