Review of Bend It Like Beckham (2002) by Rich L — 04 Sep 2010

There's no particular reason I should have liked this film all that much to be honest. I find that films with a large Indian cast don't ever seem to get the feel of the family relationships or their views right. I love football and films rarely 'get' football at all. Plus it's part of the Beckham brand (even though he doesn't appear in it) and using the guys name to sell your film is cheap.

However I did like it. My Indian friends all commented on the realism of the family storyline. Although at times the familys treatment of Jess is frustrating there is humour there too. The football, although generally not that good, wasn't terrible and the treatment of the sport was ok. I guess using it as a vehicle to discuss cultural differences meant it didn't have to be first rate but the girls looked the part on the whole and the footie ground they play at is a real non-league one.

The best aspect of the film was its soundtrack. Texas, Blondie, Mel C all pop up at the right times (the club scene is one of the best musically in any film I've seen) and some funky Bhangra too.

If you're expecting to see Mr Beckham you'll be dissapointed. If you're expecting to see a footie film you won't be all that chuffed but if you want to watch a film that explores race relations and attitudes this isn't a shoddy effort. Plus you get to see Keira looking very pretty too, she doesn't need padding!