Kicking Off (2016)
Kicking Off starts with the most important game of the season. Loyal fans Wigsy and Cliff watch in trepidation as their football team score the goal that will save them from relegation. Victory is bliss as a chorus of supporters chant and cry with elation. However, this frenzy of happiness quickly turns ugly as the referee disallows the deciding goal. With their hearts and fists pumping, adrenalin running and fury racing through their bloodstream, the fans take matters into their own hands and Cliff makes the fatal mistake of planning while intoxicated. Wigsy, a confirmed idiot, follows through with the said plan and in the darkest hours of the night he commits a crime that will cause chaos and catastrophe for him and his best mate Cliff. Kicking Off is cleverly filmed with split screen shots and slow motion montages. The characters are lovable thugs who will leave you laughing and grimacing at their lack of common sense. The beautiful game just got ugly.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
The first and utmost annoying thing about this film is the fact that they are the biggest fans of this team ever, willing to kidnap a referee BUT there NOT even at the match (Yer great fans, hey). These so called massive fans are watching it in a PUB with loads of thugs. Anyway, it's the last day of the season and loyal fans Wiggsy and Cliff assemble for a crucial denouement. It's simple: win and the team stays up; lose and they're down. When their team appears to grab a vital winner in the dying seconds the boys wild celebrations ensue, only for them to discover that the referee (Alastair Petrie) has disallowed the goal. Chaos ensues and Wiggsy and Cliff (reluctantly) decide to take matters into their own hands. To Wiggsy, it's simple: Get the referee to admit he made a mistake in disallowing the goal, and the team stays up while Wiggsy becomes a hero. I suppose it's worth a watch as it is quite witty in places.
** Mild spoilers(?) ** Not being a fan of "football" (soccer to me), maybe I'm missing the point on this one, but I came away from this indie film with the strong sense that it wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to be about. Is it the meaning of life? The fanaticism of football fans? Our own personal obsessions? I'm not sure, and I don't think the writer or director knew either.On the one hand, the leads give strong, memorable and lively performances, and the movie certainly has its funny moments. I would love to see what they could do with a stronger script and better character development. Certainly Warren Brown evokes sympathy for a rather unlikable - and uneven - obsessive character (Wigsy) who has major impulse control issues.On the other hand, this movie sort of moves along like Cliff's unreliable van - stopping, starting, sputtering, slamming into things and characters, before eventually dying entirely.I could also have done without the Scorcese-like level of profanity, particularly the use of the "f" word, which, to these characters (and apparently the scriptwriter) is used like punctuation. I didn't bother counting, but it's possible that, had this movie been longer, it could have rivaled "The Departed" for most profanity used in a movie. Dear script writer: We get it. The characters are stressed. Use your imagination and expand your vocabulary.5 stars out of 10 - fine actors, interesting premise, and potential wasted.
No pun intended. I really liked the idea and the pair of main characters really have a good chemistry together (one could argue their friendship is what holds it all together). The actors do a decent job. So what do I think went wrong? And I'm not talking about the actual plan (if you want to call it that).Well I'd say that the pace but especially the intentions are a bit muddy to say the least. It also changes far too often (mood swings), has logical errors and if you're not interested in football (or soccer if you're American), than this will leave you cold. The basic idea also could be described as a bit mental. Then again, if you are into the world of fandom, you might understand at least part of it. Still it could've been better, even though it has quite a few nice moments in it (though a character falling down twice is at least one too many)
It's the last day of the season and loyal fans Wiggsy (Warren Brown) and Cliff (Greg McHugh) assemble for a crucial denouement. It's simple: win and the team stays up; lose and they're down. When their team appears to grab a vital winner in the dying seconds the boys wild celebrations ensue, only for them to discover that the referee (Alastair Petrie) has disallowed the goal. Chaos ensues and Wiggsy and Cliff (reluctantly) decide to take matters into their own hands. To Wiggsy, it's simple: Get the referee to admit he made a mistake in disallowing the goal, and the team stays up while Wiggsy becomes a hero. What can possibly go wrong? This is a very funny film with strong performances and great writing which ensures you don't need to be a football fan to enjoy it. Football is the hook on which the action hangs, and it explores obsession, betrayal and blind faith with a deftness of touch. The dialogue is great and the scenes involving the interrogation of the referee in particular are very funny and clever. Brown (Wiggsy) and McHugh (Cliff) put in strong performances and Danielle Lineker is great as Wiggsy's long-suffering girlfriend but Alastair Petrie's understated performance as the kidnapped referee is wonderful. At its heart is a story about male relationships, the blurring of the line between hope and reality and how you shouldn't really mix football and real life - a beautifully-constructed and nicely timed comic gem ahead of another summer of potential football glory or crushing disappointment.