Goal! (2005)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Danny Cannon

Writers:

Mike Jefferies (story) and
Adrian Butchart (story) ...

Release Date:

12 May 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Every Dream Has A Beginning

Plot:

Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer...

Plot Keywords:

Newcastle United | Pub | Athletic Scout | Grandmother | Catholic

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Leonardo Guerra	...	10-Year-Old Santiago
Tony Plana	...	Hernan Munez
Miriam Colon	...	Mercedes
Kuno Becker	...	Santiago Munez
Jorge Cervera	...	Cesar
Herman Chavas	...	Referee
Alfredo Rodríguez	...	Julio
Donald Li	...	Chinese Restaurant Manager
Kate Tomlinson	...	Val
Jake Johnson	...	Tom
Zachary Johnson	...	Rory
Stephen Dillane	...	Glen Foy
Sean Pertwee	...	Barry Rankin
Jonathan Hernandez	...	Armando
Alessandro Nivola	...	Gavin Harris

Also Known As:

Goal! The Dream Begins (USA)
Goal!: The Impossible Dream (Europe: English title) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and a brief drug reference; Rated PG for language, sexual situations, and some thematic material including partying. (edited from PG-13 version)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Norway:A | Ireland:PG | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:Btl | Netherlands:AL | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG (edited version) | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Milkshake Films

Trivia:

The final scene where Santiago scores to win the game against Liverpool F.C. is the actual goal scored by Laurent Robert in real life. It is noticeable that Santiago, a right footed player throughout the movie, shoots with his left foot in this scene.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Players in the English Premier League are not allowed to wear jewelry on the field. However, the one exception is jewelry that is of a religious nature... thus, his pendant would be allowed.

Quotes:

Barry Rankin: [Talking to someone on the phone] What's cool and hangs up?
[And then hangs up]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)

Soundtrack:

Who Put The Weight Of The World On My Shoulders?

Finally, a football film worth talking about!

This film is basically Rocky but with a football. It's a rags-to-riches tale of a promising Mexican youngster with nothing in life, apart from incredible footballing skills.

Some of the CGI football shots are poor, but the budget for this film was not massive, and they did what they could. The use of cameos from the likes of Shearer, Zidane, Beckham and Raul added to both the credibility and believability of the overall piece.

The film is sad and at times funny, and can be enjoyed by the whole family, including people with no interest in football. It's a story of triumph over adversity, and of people pulling together to help someone get ahead in life, by doing what they do best.

Overall, this is the best football film ever made, in my opinion. You can tell that the people who made it knew their subject matter - something that simply cannot be said for Green Street (Hooligans) which concentrated on fan violence, rather than the beautiful game.