Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham movie review, starring Keira Knightley

Bend It Like Beckham

The year is 2002. David Beckham is the biggest name in English soccer, he can curl a ball round any opponent, pinpoint a pass from 50 yards and every young English boy wants to be just like him him. So does Jess, except she's a girl and she's Indian!

Bend It Like Beckham trailer

Gurinder Chandra's Bend It Like Beckham, the movie that launched Keira Knightley onto the world screen is a delightful, low-budget, empowering, schmaltzy, blaze of color and music that says quite a lot about feelgood contemporary Britain, even though it's based around Indian immigrants.

Unashamedly sentimental when it needs to be, Bend It Like Beckham centers around Jess, (Parminder Nagra) a tomboy who complains daily at the David Beckham shrine in her bedroom. Jess thinks it terribly unfair that she isn't allowed to play soccer just because she's a girl.

When she's spotted by Jules (Keira Knightley) an English girl who sees her demolishing some local boys during a kick-around in the park, Jules invites Jess to try out for her all-female team, coached by intense Joe (Jonathon Rhys Meyers).

Whoops, Jules has a crush on Joe and so does Jess.

So, as the DVD cover asks:

"Who wants to cook chapatis when you can bend a ball like Beckham?"

There's romance, there's a sub-plot around Jess' sister Pinkie (Archie Panjabi's) romance, a restrained, dignified performance by Jess' father (Anupam Kher) and absolutely over the top Indian mayhem provided by numerous female relatives and friends.

Paralleling that are Knightley's parents (Frank Harper) and wonderful play-for-the-laughs performance from longtime Shakespearean actress Juliet Stevenson as the mum, Paula, who begins to suspect her sports-mad daughter may have turned lesbian with Jess.

...And the Indian pop soundtrack, climaxing at Pinkie's wedding is wild!

I loved Bend It Like Beckham. You don't have to know anything about soccer to enjoy it and Parminder Nagra is sensational as Jess. Yes, there are shortcomings:

the script isn't anywhere close to being an Academy Award winner
due to the low-budget, there aren't many "beautiful", technical shots
most of the extras are family and friends (director Chadha excitedly mentions everyone she can like a proud grandmother during the director's audio commentary) and a little stiff

...but these quibbles really are pretty minor because Bend It Like Beckham is a delightful warm movie that works around its limitations beautifully.

Bend It Like Beckham DVD

"...Hooray For Bollywood!...I love this movie, there is no "bathroom" humor such as that found in most movies today...just a very heart warming story with an inside look at family life. It's great!..." Amazon reviewer Simply Dolling

"...I sat down to watch Bend it Like Beckham one Sunday afternoon with my daughters - well, talk about keep us all quiet - apart from the laughing that is. Superb film, one of those that you do not want to finish. This is a must-see, I just have to watch it again..." Amazon reviewer Diane Parsons

"...It was so funny that I kept on seeing it over and over again. It is hilarious - a stab at Indian culture and sense of humor..." Amazon reviewer Vish Balram

Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack

"...The film's song-score is as savory, playful and determined as the film itself, a rich collection of mostly contemporary tracks that shakes up an evocative cocktail of pop infused with soul, club mixes, cool jazz, new wave, traditional Indian flourishes, and even a parting, triumphant shot of Puccini...The dizzying array of transplanted Indian pop music--oft-performed by the winning team of Brit Billy Sagoo and American vocalist Gunjan...(make) the album such a winning delight. This is world music with a dancefloor beat and a smile. Amazon blurb

Bend It Like Beckham poster