Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Gurinder Chadha (written by) &
Guljit Bindra (written by) ...

Release Date:

1 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?

Plot:

The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents' traditionalism by running off to Germany with a football team (soccer in America).

Plot Keywords:

Underdog | Multicultural | Joy | Prayer | Disco

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 17 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Parminder Nagra	...	Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra
Keira Knightley	...	Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Joe
Anupam Kher	...	Mr. Bhamra
Archie Panjabi	...	Pinky Bhamra
Shaznay Lewis	...	Mel
Frank Harper	...	Alan Paxton
Juliet Stevenson	...	Paula Paxton
Shaheen Khan	...	Mrs. Bhamra
Ameet Chana	...	Tony
Pooja Shah	...	Meena (as Poojah Shah)
Paven Virk	...	Bubbly
Preeya Kalidas	...	Monica
Trey Farley	...	Taz
Saraj Chaudhry	...	Sonny (as Saraj Chaudry)

Also Known As:

Kick It Like Beckham (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

112 min | Spain:115 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English | Punjabi | Hindi | German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Spain:13 | Portugal:M/6 | Chile:14 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Austria:6 (Steiermark) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:L | India:U | Ireland:12PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38936)

Filming Locations:

Contessa Lingerie Shop, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Kintop Pictures

Trivia:

Beating out established players like Figo and Ronaldo, 'Parminder Nagra' won the 2002 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)'s International Football Personality of the Year Presidential award , the first female to ever receive the honor.

Goofs:

Continuity: During several games, Jules' hair goes from being held back by bobby pins, then to a headband, and back to bobby pins.

Quotes:

Paula: That's why she's been so depressed lately cos' that Jess broke her heart! She's in love. With a girl!
Alan Paxton: You're jumping to all the wrong conclusions
Paula: But I heard her! No wonder she never looked twice at the Kevin or brought any boys home. I tried to get her nice clothes, you know we've had some lovely prints in this summer you know in swimwear and sarongs and that. She never wants to go shopping with me. It was terrible what they did to that George Michael going on about him and his private business in the papers like that! Oh No!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Really Bend It Like Beckham (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

IOU

A Crowd-pleasing Charmer

`Bend It Like Beckam' is a heartwarming charmer about a young girl's search for identity in 21st Century England. Like `Fiddler on the Roof,' `Beckam' deals with the painful struggles tradition-bound cultures must go through as they enter a looser, more freedom-loving modern world. The culture in this case is that of immigrant and first-generation Indians living in Great Britain. As with all such tales, it is the young folk who feel the need to pull away from the stuffy values of the past, and who end up dragging the reluctant older folk kicking and screaming into the future right along with them.

Jess Bharma is a fairly typical teen with dreams of becoming a world-class soccer player. However, Jess also comes from a very traditional Indian family that believes a girl should not play around with boys, show her legs in public, or aspire to much beyond marrying a good Indian boy and raising a family. We've seen this kind of set-up countless times before and `Bend It Like Beckam' will certainly not win any prizes for creativity or originality. It does, however, have a youthful exuberance and a generous spirit that can't help but captivate even the most diehard, coldhearted cynic. Parminder K. Nagra is utterly winning as young Jess, capturing all the innate optimism and unquenchable enthusiasm of this irrepressible character. She receives superb support from a cast of outstanding actors, both young and old, including Keira Knightley as Jules, her inspirational buddy who provides Jess with the opportunity to bring her dreams to fruition; Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Joe, the handsome young coach who provides lessons in love along with lessons in soccer; Anupam Kher as Jess' father, who turns out to have some of his own personal demons to deal with; Shaheen Khan as Jess' mother, who doesn't understand why her daughter can't be content with the pre-ordained life her parents have laid out for her; and Juliet Stevenson as Jules' mother, who proves that Indians don't hold a patent on tradition-obsessed parents. In its quiet, gentle way, the film also confronts the issue of racism, particularly in terms of how the Indians are often still treated as second-class citizens in British society.

As directed by Gurinder Chadha, `Bend It Like Beckham' is a light-on-its-feet `feel-good' film that never takes itself too seriously. The movie suffers a bit from a sitcom mentality, as when, for instance, Jules' parents labor under the illusion that their daughter and Jess are actually lesbian lovers. The plotting, in addition to being predictable at times, often seems contrived and excessively melodramatic (the rivalry between Jess and Jules over Joe being the primary offender). But this isn't enough to do any serious damage to the film as a whole.

Thus, if you're looking for a film that is easygoing, uplifting and comfortably old-fashioned in its demeanor and theme, `Bend It Like Beckham' is for you.