"Bend it Like Beckham"
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Gurinder Chadha
Written by Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges and Guljit Bindra
Produced by Gurinder Chadha and Deepak Nayar
Starring Parminder K. Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson, Shaheen Khan and Ameet Chana
Rated PG-13
Opens tomorrow at the Broadway
(out of four)

"Bend it Like Beckham" is a film about young dreamers that actually has the spirit and energy that young dreamers have in their blood. The filmmakers take the characters seriously, but have a fun sense of humor that brings life into the film.

Jess (Parminder K. Nagra) is the child of strict Indian immigrants who still follow the old culture and tradition of their country. She wants to play soccer—they want her to go to college, be respectful and marry an Indian boy so that the family won’t be frowned upon.

The setup sounds like the typical coming-of-age story, and it pretty much is, but genre films are judged based on how well they’re done, not by whether or not the story is predictable. Jess feels like a real young woman, and her family, though comic, seems like a real family. Some of the things her mother (Anupam Kher) says may be ridiculous, but then again, a lot of things parents say while trying to protect their kids are ridiculous.

Jess has a giant picture of English soccer player David Beckham over her bed. She talks to him about her day and dreams of scoring the winning goal for England in an important match. She’s been playing since she was a kid and squares off with the men in the park.

That’s where she catches Juliette’s eye. Juliette (Keira Knightly) plays soccer for a local women’s team that plays in tournaments and she thinks Jess has the skills to be on the team. She soon meets Joe, the coach, who’s skeptical until he sees her play. Soon Jess is one of the best players on the team, but she has to lie to her disapproving parents to get out to practice and play the games.

The film takes on the aspects of both Indian culture and being a woman in sports. Jess’s father was kicked off the English cricket team because of his race and doesn’t want to see Jess treated the same way. Also, Jess’s sister is about to marry her boyfriend, but his parents won’t allow it if they feel Jess’s actions aren’t appropriate.

There’s a possibility of playing in a professional women’s league in the United States, but Jess would want the blessing of her parents—a blessing that doesn’t appear likely.

The parents aren’t the strictest of Indian parents, as they’re actually allowing their children to choose who they marry (although the race/religion requirement is still there), but restrictions on one’s ambitions rarely work out. Joe tells Jess that he wanted to show his father he was tough, so he played with an injury and ruined his knee for life.

Meanwhile, Juliette’s mom isn’t too keen on the whole soccer idea either. She’d prefer a more feminine daughter who chases boys around.

That the film has the bravery to deal with these issues head-on, if in a traditional way, is a plus, but the real treat is the detail and humor put into every scene to make it joyful to watch. With knowledge and energy, "Bend it Like Beckham" creates strong characters and puts them in interesting situations.
jeremy@red-mag.com