Bend It Like Beckham

Nowhere near as determinedly awful as most football movies, if not exactly Citizen Kane either, the relentlessly cheerful Bend It Like Beckham just about wins the viewer over through pure good-natured charm.

A frothy, colourful feelgood comedy about an Asian schoolgirl’s obsession with the Beautiful Game, it stands fairly squarely in the recent tradition of most British ‘yoof’ movies, maintaining an upbeat and light-hearted approach throughout.

The plot centres on teenage girl Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), a twenty-four-hour football obsessive who plays brilliantly in her own right, runs rings around her male mates in the park, and gets invited to join the all-girl Hounslow Harriers by her mate Jules (Keira Knightley). However, Jess’s traditionally-minded parents are outraged at her hobby – as her mum (Shaheen Khan) explains: “What family will want a daughter-in-law who can kick a football but can’t make round chapattis?”.

Not at all dissimilar to the offbeat 1999 hit East Is East, if not quite as original or funny, Gurinder Chadha’s endearing little footie-flick derives most of its strength from heartfelt acting and winsome charm. Though bland and predictable on occasion, resorting to sports-flick cliches and Just Seventeen-style ‘boy trouble’ plot-pointing, the enthusiasm of the young cast invariably wins out. Nagra is entirely convincing as the heroine, and Jonathan Rhys-Myers doesn’t disgrace himself as the former’s football-coach/love-interest.

Bend It Like Beckham isn’t about to change anyone’s life, but as football films go, it’s downright enjoyable.