Goal! II: Living the Dream (2007)

Simply Perfect

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I would have to note that first off there truly aren't many movies that encompass football/soccer on the big screen as well as this movie has done thus the lenient rating of a 7 although it is more like 6.6 and just rounded up. Any fan or player had to get goosebumps hearing the roar of the crowd and seeing the superstar players performing on the pitch. I thought it was cool that they showed the multiple aspects of a players life with the clubs, the autographs, the interviews, the practices, the rehab, and even the somewhat futile attempts at having a normal family life while being a celebrity.Let me also point out that I understand that this is a movie and the director has created drama on and off the pitch. However, at times rather than watch this movie I wanted to kick my soccer ball at the screen in disgust. There were numerous points in the movie that were so Hollywood and unfortunately less reality thus validating the original concept of this movie being a dream. For instance, Santiago plays for Real Madrid not a pick up team yet the computer his brother uses to check on him looks like it from the 90's rather than 2008. He is portrayed as this family-first guy but he can't buy his real brother a laptop or something? I thought that Friel's role of Roz was utterly annoying as the always crying and moping around superstar girlfriend. For the entire movie she acts like she is dating some bloke that she met at the pub. The guy played for Newcastle when you met him which is pretty significant and then goes on to play for Real Madrid which speaks for itself and she is upset because he doesn't have time to pick out paint for the house? Not to mention that it isn't even close to a contest in choosing whom to be with between Roz and Varela's character of Jordana. But moving on from that, look I get the attempt of trying to add drama by bringing in Santiago's mother but the chances of what happens in this movie are so remote that they could have sooner told me his mother won the lottery and met him at some gala. Out of the almost 2 mill Latino immigrants to Spain around 20,000 are from Mexico. Add on top of that he just so happens to be in the same town as she and his 1/2 brother are living? Highly unlikely but speaking of 1/2 brother. How this little brat didn't get punted back to the juvenile correctional facility he deserves to be in is beyond me. Stealing Santiago's gear is one thing but this mastermind tracks Santiago down, follows him to the club and then steals his Lambo, crashes it and survives. That was way to much to believe could happen considering the kid could hardly see over the dash without a phonebook under him.Overall I thought this movie had real potential but in reality it went to corny with trying to draw suspense. If anything they should have expanded on Nivola's character of Gavin and just cut out the sappy girlfriend and unbelievable role of the abandoning-mother and neglected 1/2 brother. What would have been more believable is Santiago dropping Roz for the hot Jordana and if you must have the mom in it, having her come out of the woodwork trying to weasel and get money from Santiago. That is more like the real world and less like the dream that is portrayed in this movie.

I want to talk about both of goal movies.I have just watched goal I and II consecutively. I think about that some different whereas the others. In my opinion Goal I is better than II. In first movie is more excited. In some cases we can't guess what will happen. We just sit and watch.However, in second movie, we still don't know something. *Santi left Newcastle. What happened in Newcastle? *We don't know what was Santi's grandmother and brother doing before the middle of the movie. *Where was Glen's daughter? *Finally, what happened for Alan? She seemed pregnant. *What happened after final match? Maybe these were for third movie but something is not clear for second.I can't finish my comment before I say. The scenes from football field is so impressed and also David Beckham, Zidane, Robinho and so on.

Just watched Goal 2 and must say it was fairly predictable in all areas of the movie. Although somewhat entertaining with some good football created by some world class footballers, the story doesn't really turn any interesting corners. When you link it up with Goal, it begins with a talented player who makes good with Newcastle and finally becomes a star with some interesting scenes thrown in. In Goal 2 the obvious occurs, star player goes to a bigger club, gets caught up in the good life, loses his girl, gets injured, works hard and comes back to please everyone. Would I recommend this Movie? Yes and No.... The football is not bad and its interesting to see Beckam and company strut their stuff off and on the field but you would have thought they would have come up with a better storyline rather than churn out the same old stuff.By the way, you don't see too many movies finish with a "to be continued" Scary stuff!

i have to say i loved the first film of the GOAL! series, the sequel is also very good but not as good as the first.....The film shows how all the fame and fortune of playing football for one of the worlds biggest clubs can get too your head, his girlfriend and he fallout and she goes back to England and even at the end we don't know where there relationship will go (although me and some of my friends agreed that they will get back together)In the end David Beckham scores the winner for Real Madrid (With Munez and Harris getting the others) against Arsenal to win the Champions League Final 3-2!This film was really good, but not as good as the first in my opinion, can't wait for the third one to come out!