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| Bend It Like Beckham |
| Genre |
Sports/ Comedy |
| Starring |
Keira Knightley |
| Director |
Gurinder Chadha |
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“Bend It Like Beckham” is a charming independent film dealing with clashes in culture, soccer and the coming of age of young girls. It is a pleasant alternative from the big budget drivel being offered such as “Malibu’s Most Wanted”.
This British-Asian film about a clash between traditional values and the modern world, is a classic feel good movie. Chock full of wonderful characters, the crowd-pleasing Beckham is also a great Soccer movie, perhaps the best since Stallone’s “Victory”.
David Beckham is not only one of England’s greatest players, he’s also married to the hottest of the former Spice Girls: Posh. Soccer fans across the world wish to be him. We all strive in one way or another to bend it like he does.
One of these followers is Jess Bjamra, but her traditional Sikh parents don’t approve of her athletic pursuits. They live in the middle-class suburb of Hounslow in England, under the flight path of arriving jets, where her mother believes that Jess has two great duties in life: cooking Indian meals, and marrying a nice Indian boy.
Jules (Keira Knightley), a blond tomboy, sees Jess playing in the park and recruits her to try out for a local female team. (The beautiful Knightley, brings to mind a tall Wynona Rider, before she gained weight and started shoplifting).
Under the guidance of the young Irish Coach named Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), Jess struggles to manage the team with the increasing demands of her family.
“Beckham’s” greatest strength is in the way director Gurinder Chadha compares the conflicts between Indian and British cultures, exploring the ways both traditions shape their young women. Jess’s open confrontations with her family are contrasted with the repressed disapproval of Juliette’s mother. Where Jess’s parents put their foot down and demand that she stop playing soccer and learn to cook a proper Indian meal, Juliette’s mom (Juliet Stevenson) encourages her to trade her sports bra for a cleavage enhancing one.
The spine of the film may be soccer, but it’s heart is more about pursuing the passion and excellence within oneself. “Beckham” also touches on the relationship between women, sports and society and how the family can both stabilize and infuriate.
IN THE END: The film has a quiet charm in the spirit of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. “Bend It Like Beckham’s” unique characters and ample charm makes this a film for any occasion. B+ |
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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