Goal! The Dream Begins
3.5/4
Starring: Kuno Becker, Stephen Dillane, Marcel Iures, Alessandro Nivola, Tony Plana, Anna Friel, Sean Pertwee, Kieran O'Brien
Rated PG-13 for Some Sexual Content, Language and a Brief Drug Reference
Few things can compare to watching a good sports movie. There's nothing else like it. I've seen "Speed Racer" many times, and to this day, I still am up on my feet hoping against hope that Speed Racer will fly through the finish line at the Grand Prix in first place. I had a similar experience watching "Goal! The Game Begins."
So it might surprise you to learn that the film is a catalog of sports movie cliches. If the story (an impoverished immigrant turns out to be a genius soccer player, and gets a chance to play for a big team seeking to recapture its former glory) wasn't so involving, one could pass the time by ticking off each one as it plays out on screen. They're all here, and I mean, all of them. Let's see, you've got: the down on his luck hero who is a diamond in the rough, the chance meeting, the fish-out-of-water element, the friction with the teammates, the seduction of the hard partying lifestyle, the supportive girlfriend who doesn't date soccer players. And of course, you have the father, played by Tony Plana, who doesn't approve and wants him to stay home and support the family. Yes, the film has literally every sports movie cliche.
And yet, and yet...I enjoyed the movie immensely and found it incredibly involving. For one thing, the cast, made up of underrated actors, gives it their all. Mexican actor Kuno Becker is impossible not to like and root for, and that's more than half the battle. He has a stiff moment here and there where he can't really reach the emotion that he's going for, but such moments are few. As Glen Foy, the man who spotted him and his personal cheerleader, Stephen Dillane is very strong as well. Glen sees something in this young soccer star, and he'll do anything to give him a fair shot for Eric Dornhelm (Iures), the coach. Marcel Iures is also wonderful (no surprises there), building a real person out of the cliche of a character that Dornhelm is on paper. He's tough and aloof, and even a little threatening, but an entirely normal individual. Alessandro Nivola is good as Gavin Harris, but not great. Gavin's story is the one shred of originality that made it into the production. Tony Plana, Anna Friel, and Sean Pertwee provide solid support as well.
Director Danny Cannon clearly knows how to make a movie in this genre, and he breathes life into the cliches. The film sometimes moves so fast that it feels like a super-long trailer, but it works nonetheless. It's certainly better than "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer."
To be perfectly frank, there's not much of a difference between this movie and something like "The Mighty Ducks" or any other sports movie. But that's okay. It doesn't aspire to be anything more than a well-made sports movie, and it succeeds at that. Movies like "Goal! The Dream Begins" are made for a select audience that knows what it wants from a sports movie. As long as the director and his cast assemble the parts correctly, the movie will turn out fine. That's the case here, and that's why I'm recommending the film. I cannot wait to see the sequels.
Starring: Kuno Becker, Stephen Dillane, Marcel Iures, Alessandro Nivola, Tony Plana, Anna Friel, Sean Pertwee, Kieran O'Brien
Rated PG-13 for Some Sexual Content, Language and a Brief Drug Reference
Few things can compare to watching a good sports movie. There's nothing else like it. I've seen "Speed Racer" many times, and to this day, I still am up on my feet hoping against hope that Speed Racer will fly through the finish line at the Grand Prix in first place. I had a similar experience watching "Goal! The Game Begins."
So it might surprise you to learn that the film is a catalog of sports movie cliches. If the story (an impoverished immigrant turns out to be a genius soccer player, and gets a chance to play for a big team seeking to recapture its former glory) wasn't so involving, one could pass the time by ticking off each one as it plays out on screen. They're all here, and I mean, all of them. Let's see, you've got: the down on his luck hero who is a diamond in the rough, the chance meeting, the fish-out-of-water element, the friction with the teammates, the seduction of the hard partying lifestyle, the supportive girlfriend who doesn't date soccer players. And of course, you have the father, played by Tony Plana, who doesn't approve and wants him to stay home and support the family. Yes, the film has literally every sports movie cliche.
And yet, and yet...I enjoyed the movie immensely and found it incredibly involving. For one thing, the cast, made up of underrated actors, gives it their all. Mexican actor Kuno Becker is impossible not to like and root for, and that's more than half the battle. He has a stiff moment here and there where he can't really reach the emotion that he's going for, but such moments are few. As Glen Foy, the man who spotted him and his personal cheerleader, Stephen Dillane is very strong as well. Glen sees something in this young soccer star, and he'll do anything to give him a fair shot for Eric Dornhelm (Iures), the coach. Marcel Iures is also wonderful (no surprises there), building a real person out of the cliche of a character that Dornhelm is on paper. He's tough and aloof, and even a little threatening, but an entirely normal individual. Alessandro Nivola is good as Gavin Harris, but not great. Gavin's story is the one shred of originality that made it into the production. Tony Plana, Anna Friel, and Sean Pertwee provide solid support as well.
Director Danny Cannon clearly knows how to make a movie in this genre, and he breathes life into the cliches. The film sometimes moves so fast that it feels like a super-long trailer, but it works nonetheless. It's certainly better than "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer."
To be perfectly frank, there's not much of a difference between this movie and something like "The Mighty Ducks" or any other sports movie. But that's okay. It doesn't aspire to be anything more than a well-made sports movie, and it succeeds at that. Movies like "Goal! The Dream Begins" are made for a select audience that knows what it wants from a sports movie. As long as the director and his cast assemble the parts correctly, the movie will turn out fine. That's the case here, and that's why I'm recommending the film. I cannot wait to see the sequels.
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