Goal! (2005)
| Drama,Sport
UK / English
"Every Dream Has A Beginning
" Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer...
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Great movie - loads of fun
I think we would all likely agree the "rags to riches" story has been
done to death by Hollywood. But, when someone comes along and gets it
right the results can be truly excellent. Perhaps the best know of this
genre is original "Rocky" movie. "Goal - the dream begins" gets it
right, even though it is loaded with all the clichés that generally
accustom this kind of movie. "Goal" has the whole recipe here - the
unknown with the heart of gold, a unique and virtuosic talent, from a
downtrodden and hopeless setting, the brooding and unsupportive parent
who refuses to accept his child's potential, the doting grandparent who
can see the potential that lies within our hero, the outsider who
promises a way to fame and fortune and so on... But, like the first few
"Rocky" movies, this one delivers without falling into the usual
schmaltzy pitfalls.
Kuno Becker is very well cast as promising young player Santiago Munez.
He is earnest, honest, and gives off that glow of burning desire to be
the best. My only knock is that he doesn't quite physically look the
part at times. When they line him up with real professionals he looks a
touch slight and skinny, not quite boasting the musleclature of a
professional athlete. The supporting cast works out well, too. No real
complaints to offer as everyone seems to be a very good fit. Alessandro
Nivola's dialect could use a spot of work, but no one outside of the UK
will really pick up on this. I very much liked Marcel Irues as
Newcastle United's Manager. He seemed to be a totally natural fit for
the role and is a shoe in for the lead if someone ever decides to make
the "Aime Jacquet story".
Where this movie really takes off is on the pitch, whether its a park
in LA, the training ground in Newcastle, or St. James Park, the home of
Newcastle United. The soccer scenes are exceptionally well done and
look realistic. Real players feature prominently all over film, both on
and off the pitch, and not just in walk on cameos, ie "Bend it like
Beckham". The action is convincing, the tackles are crunching, and the
goals are authentic and not the usual over the top spectacle (anyone
remember Pele's winner from "Victory"?) Becker fits in well with the
action scenes, though it's odd how you never really see all of Becker
on the ball and usually just the waist up, kind of like they found some
else to do all the little flicks and stepovers...
And for all those who say "it can't happen", I beg to differ. This
movie is not fantasy. In fact, they could have made a biopic about a
young Calgarian from Western Canada who somehow manages to make Bayern
Munich, works his way up through the reserves, and in his premier
season with the senior side wins the league and European Cup, makes the
England side for World Cup 2002, and returns again to be the best
England player in World Cup 2006! Maybe someday someone out there will
make the "Owen Hargreaves story".
All in all, great stuff and I'm already looking forward to Goal 2 & 3.
Personal| Seen it: | Nej |
| Nr of disks/tapes: | 2 |
| Storage device: | Divx 5 |
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Loan
