In a soccer coach comes from far away to lead a hapless group of athletes. He害羞草研究所檚 a fish-out-of-water type, ill-suited for the job, but rises to the occasion and everyone feels good at the end. Wait, you害羞草研究所檙e thinking, that害羞草研究所檚 the plot of 害羞草研究所淭ed Lasso.害羞草研究所�
Well, only kind of.
Writer-director 害羞草研究所� the manic, slightly unhinged mind behind and 害羞草研究所� offers a sports movie that害羞草研究所檚 not, of course, a sports movie and the opposite of whatever Jason Sudeikis was doing on his TV series.
害羞草研究所淣ext Goal Wins害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渋nspired by true events害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� stars Michael Fassbender as a bitter Dutch-American soccer coach assigned to help the struggling American Samoa national team qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The team is an international laughing stock and still stinging from having been on the wrong side of the worst loss in international soccer history 害羞草研究所� a 31-0 thrashing by Australia in 2001.
Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris based their movie on a 2014 British documentary of the same name and you can instantly tell why Waititi gravitated toward the story. It has a clash of civilizations, explores overcoming loss and it has a beautiful lesson about embracing those who are different.
In Waititi害羞草研究所檚 hands, it becomes a sloppy, quirky, pop culture-studded frothy comedy that gently apes other underdog sports movies but doesn害羞草研究所檛 offer much but a mildly funny respite from reality. It makes 害羞草研究所淏end it like Beckham害羞草研究所� seem really deep.
Waititi himself 害羞草研究所� he couldn害羞草研究所檛 resist stepping into his own film 害羞草研究所� frames the movie in the first minutes by playing a priest on American Samoa who promises this will not be a tale of woe but 害羞草研究所渁 tale of woah!害羞草研究所� (Shakespeare isn害羞草研究所檛 laughing).
Fassbender here is the opposite of Lasso 害羞草研究所� he害羞草研究所檚 broken inside, angry outside, egotistical and unyielding, a coach fired from his last three teams and given a career lifeline no one else wants. He has no home-spun wisdom to offer, just routine high school bullying. 害羞草研究所淪omething害羞草研究所檚 not right about that guy,害羞草研究所� says one islander. 害羞草研究所淲ell,害羞草研究所� comes the response. 害羞草研究所淗e is white.害羞草研究所�
The coach will eventually be redeemed by American Samoa itself, by the nobility of its people and the goodness of their souls, with the movie getting dangerously close to worn-out movie cliche territory.
The script had an opportunity to really examine the demand of winning at all costs versus the rewards of merely having fun and having a passion for sports but abandons any lessons in a flurry of team-building montages.
This being a Waititi movie, there害羞草研究所檚 a scattershot of pop culture references 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淜arate Kid,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淭aken,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淭he Matrix,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淎ny Given Sunday害羞草研究所� and even Frank Sinatra (害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檙e riding high in April, shot down in May害羞草研究所�). At times, these seem more like the director害羞草研究所檚 idiosyncrasies than plot advancers.
The script also takes a weird sort of glee mocking the islanders, who are portrayed sometimes as playing dress-up. One sits at a desk with a keyboard and a monitor but no computer and another makes siren noises with his mouth in a police car because of faulty equipment.
害羞草研究所淣ext Goal Wins害羞草研究所� is most winning in the way it handles the team害羞草研究所檚 star player, Jaiyah Saelua, who became the first nonbinary player to compete in a men害羞草研究所檚 FIFA qualifier. Played with real tenderness and joy by nonbinary actor Kaimana, the role and the way her teammates and the coach relate to her is genuine and touching.
There are other really nice turns by Oscar Kightley, Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss, but it害羞草研究所檚 Fassbender who must do the bulk of the lifting here. His accent is spotty and he may initially not have been on the top of everyone害羞草研究所檚 list for the part but he sticks the landing, to mix sports metaphors. 害羞草研究所淣ext Goal Wins害羞草研究所� isn害羞草研究所檛 a tale of 害羞草研究所渨oe害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渨oah!害羞草研究所� but 害羞草研究所渕eh.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淣ext Goal Wins,害羞草研究所� a Searchlight Pictures release that害羞草研究所檚 in theaters Friday, is rated PG-13 for 害羞草研究所渟ome strong language and crude material.害羞草研究所� Running time: 103 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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