Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer. However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that--a dream. Until, one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United. 

In 'Goal' Kuno Becker plays Santiago Munez, an illegal alien living in Los Angels. Despite his hardships, Santiago loves to play soccer. So much so, that he is really quite good. Good enough to get the notice of a former scout of Newcastle United. Santiago gets the opportunity to go to England and try out for this premier football team. But if he does not make it, he will not be able to return to Los Angels.

This is a heartwarming tale of one man's struggle to become something more. Despite the obstacles and the disapproval of his father (Tony Plana), he goes for the goal. Only to find that it is not going to be that easy after all.

I would say this film is 'Bend it Like Beckham' meets 'Gattaca'. Not that Santiago needs to meet any DNA tests, but he is in a world that is virtually unknown to him. He has to keep secrets about himself in order to fit in because most expect him to fail. Some will even try to make him fail.

Kuno Becker (as Santiago Munez), Alessandro Nivola (as Gavin Harris), Anna Friel (as Roz Harmison), Stephen Dillane (as Glen Foy), Gary Lewis (as Mal Braithwaite), Kieran O'Brien (as Hughie McGowan), Sean Pertwee (as Barry Rankin), Marcel Iures (as Erik Dornhelm), Tony Plana (as Hernan Munez), Miriam Colon (as Mercedes), Kate Tomlinson (as Val), Emma Field-Rayner (as Lorraine), Zachary Johnson (as Rory), Frances Barber (as Carol Harmison), Kevin Knapman (as Jamie Drew)

Family man Phil Weston, a lifelong victim of his father's competitive nature, takes on the coaching duties of a kids' soccer team, and soon finds that he's also taking on his father's dysfunctional way of relating... 

It's been done many, many times. The rag-tag bunch of nobodies has to square off against the unstoppable professionals of the best local youth team. It is a great story, but it has been done to death. If you're a fan of Will Ferrel, you will like this movie. He is very funny in it. The movie also tells the story of the relationship between father and son with both comedy and touching moments sprinkled in. Robert Duvall gives his usual great performance. Mike Ditka gives a pretty funny performance as himself. He played exactly what his image is. If you go to this movie expecting to laugh, you will feel it is worth it. If you go expecting a great movie, see something else.

Will Ferrell (as Phil Weston), Robert Duvall (as Buck Weston), Mike Ditka (as Mike Ditka), Kate Walsh (as Barbara Weston), Musetta Vander (as Janice Weston), Dylan McLaughlin (as Sam Weston), Josh Hutcherson (as Bucky Weston), Steven Anthony Lawrence (as Mark Avery), Jeremy Bergman (as Hunter), Elliott Cho (as Byong Sun (as Elliot Cho)), Erik Walker (as Ambrose), Dallas McKinney (as Connor), Francesco Liotti (as Gian Piero), Alessandro Ruggiero (as Massimo), Sammy Fine (as Jack)

Five story strands -- some real, some fictionalized -- comprise this officially sanctioned film of Real Madrid, the second richest soccer club in the world.

I thought that IMDb was a professional movie market organization, but reading above comment, done before a movie has been released and talking about politics, is is something terrible. Please some one from here, I do not know, a webmaster or so, check this out and please re-conduct this comments to the purpose of this web page.

I do not know if everybody knows what Real Madrid is, but I must say that it is a 103 years old sport club, born before even the fascist movement was even in its beginning.

I do honestly like this web page, it is beautiful, but please do not let political demagogy go.

Javier Albalá (as Tomás), David Beckham (as Himself), Jessica Bohl (as Megan), Raúl Bravo (as Himself), Emilio Butragueño (as Himself), Roberto Carlos (as Himself), Iker Casillas (as Himself), Albert Celades López (as Himself), Maguette Coly (as Ánsou), Carlos Coppo (as Martín), Roberto Carlos Da Silva (as Himself), Alfredo Di Stéfano (as Himself), Manuel Escobar (as Paul), Moussa Faye (as Akia), Borja Fernández (as Himself), Luis Figo (as Himself), Javier García Portillo (as Himself), Raul Gonzalez (as Himself), Thomas Gravesen (as Himself), José María Gutiérrez (as Himself), Iván Helguera (as Himself), Santiago Hernán Solari (as Himself), Guillermo Herrera (as Maxi), Diego López (as Himself), Vanderlei Luxemburgo (as Himself), Álvaro Mejía (as Himself), Misa Mochizuki, Ari Ohta (as Sayaka), Michael Owen (as Himself), Francisco Pavón (as Himself), Florentino Pérez (as Himself), Javier Portillo (as Himself), Ronaldo (as Himself), Keiichirou Sakaki (as Koji), Míchel Salgado (as Himself), Walter Samuel (as Himself), César Sánchez Domínguez (as Himself), Keiichirou Sasaki (as Koji), Santiago Solari (as Himself), Lair Torrent (as John), Jonathan Woodgate (as Himself), Zinédine Zidane (as Himself)

He's Got The World By The Tail
Imagine a mutt who can outplay everyone on the field while turning a team of laughable misfits into a lean, mean, fighting machine. This pooch has got the international soccer scene by the tail!

This movie is a total disgrace the research must have been zero as it is full of terrible mistakes and is clearly filmed in the USA by someone who does not even know what Scotland looks like

As a scot it made me extremely angry as to how we were portrayed in this bargain bin rubbish

The accents are terrible, They didn't even bother to put UK number plates on the cars in the film whilst I accept the film is a light hearted kids movie, they should realise we are not all kilt wearing long haired Mel Gibson look a likes Time for the director and producers of this junk to spend a little time on research

Lori Heuring, Nick Moran, Jake Thomas, Scott Cleverdon

When I heard about this movie I thought was going to be a bad one. I was wrong. It is a delightful comedy that gets your attention from the very beginning. I had a great time and I laugh a lot while watching this movie. It's a simple comedy that works, without any other pretension. Ernesto Alterio as Antonio is just amazing. You cannot stop laughing when you see him. This is the kind of movie you want to watch with your friends. And don't worry, it's not about football.

Alberto San Juan (as Jorge), Ernesto Alterio (as Antonio), Natalia Verbeke (as Violeta), Pere Ponce (as Carlos), Fernando Tejero (as Serafín), Roberto Álamo (as Ramón), Secun de la Rosa (as Gonzalo), Luis Bermejo (as Miguel), Nathalie Poza (as Patricia), María Esteve (as Carla), Lola Dueñas (as Macarena), Pilar Castro (as Bárbara), Diego Martín (as Daniel), Eva Santolaria (as Lorena), Daniel Ruiperez (as Pablito)

A comedy about bending the rules to reach your goal, Bend It Like Beckham explores the world of women's football, from kick-abouts in the park to freekicks in the Final. Set in Hounslow, West London and Hamburg, the film follows two 18 year olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer. Heart-stopping talent doesn't seem to be enough when your parents want you to hang up your football boots, find a nice boyfriend and learn to cook the perfect chapatti. 

`Bend It Like Beckam' is a heartwarming charmer about a young girl's search for identity in 21st Century England. Like `Fiddler on the Roof,' `Beckam' deals with the painful struggles tradition-bound cultures must go through as they enter a looser, more freedom-loving modern world. The culture in this case is that of immigrant and first-generation Indians living in Great Britain. As with all such tales, it is the young folk who feel the need to pull away from the stuffy values of the past, and who end up dragging the reluctant older folk kicking and screaming into the future right along with them.

Jess Bharma is a fairly typical teen with dreams of becoming a world-class soccer player. However, Jess also comes from a very traditional Indian family that believes a girl should not play around with boys, show her legs in public, or aspire to much beyond marrying a good Indian boy and raising a family. We've seen this kind of set-up countless times before and `Bend It Like Beckam' will certainly not win any prizes for creativity or originality. It does, however, have a youthful exuberance and a generous spirit that can't help but captivate even the most diehard, coldhearted cynic. Parminder K. Nagra is utterly winning as young Jess, capturing all the innate optimism and unquenchable enthusiasm of this irrepressible character. She receives superb support from a cast of outstanding actors, both young and old, including Keira Knightley as Jules, her inspirational buddy who provides Jess with the opportunity to bring her dreams to fruition; Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Joe, the handsome young coach who provides lessons in love along with lessons in soccer; Anupam Kher as Jess' father, who turns out to have some of his own personal demons to deal with; Shaheen Khan as Jess' mother, who doesn't understand why her daughter can't be content with the pre-ordained life her parents have laid out for her; and Juliet Stevenson as Jules' mother, who proves that Indians don't hold a patent on tradition-obsessed parents. In its quiet, gentle way, the film also confronts the issue of racism, particularly in terms of how the Indians are often still treated as second-class citizens in British society.

As directed by Gurinder Chadha, `Bend It Like Beckham' is a light-on-its-feet `feel-good' film that never takes itself too seriously. The movie suffers a bit from a sitcom mentality, as when, for instance, Jules' parents labor under the illusion that their daughter and Jess are actually lesbian lovers. The plotting, in addition to being predictable at times, often seems contrived and excessively melodramatic (the rivalry between Jess and Jules over Joe being the primary offender). But this isn't enough to do any serious damage to the film as a whole.

Thus, if you're looking for a film that is easygoing, uplifting and comfortably old-fashioned in its demeanor and theme, `Bend It Like Beckham' is for you.

Parminder Nagra (as Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra), Keira Knightley (as Juliette 'Jules' Paxton), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (as Joe), Anupam Kher (as Mr. Bhamra), Archie Panjabi (as Pinky Bhamra), Shaznay Lewis (as Mel), Frank Harper (as Alan Paxton), Juliet Stevenson (as Paula Paxton), Shaheen Khan (as Mrs. Bhamra), Ameet Chana (as Tony), Pooja Shah (as Meena (as Poojah Shah)), Paven Virk (as Bubbly), Preeya Kalidas (as Monica), Trey Farley (as Taz), Saraj Chaudhry (as Sonny (as Saraj Chaudry))

After a fateful mistake costing his career, an ex-soccer player bum meets a shaolin kung fu student trying to spread the word of kung fu. The ex-soccer player helps reconcile with his five brothers, and teaches them soccer, adding shaolin kung fu as a twist. 

Wow, I was really surprised by this movie. It is totally unique, I've never seen anything else like it. There is a very charming love story, and the effects are really cool. The idea of combining kung fu with soccer is very original.... even though it's so bizarre, you'll find yourself asking why nobody has done anything like this before. I laughed constantly throughout this movie and went out and bought it a few days after I first saw it.

I would recommend it to everyone I know. This is the best Asian comedy since the heyday of Jackie Chan and "Fighting Benny"! Go see it, buy it, whatever, just make sure you do see this film.

I would be surprised if there is not a sequel. This film should have been released theatrically in the US; I've heard Miramax handled it. Sorry guys you lost millions of dollars, this film would have been a smash hit. They probably just didn't think that soccer would sell in America, but word of mouth would have sold this movie very well.

Stephen Chow (as Mighty Steel Leg Sing), Man Tat Ng (as Golden Leg Fung (as Ng Man Tat)), Zhao Wei (as Mui), Yin Tse (as Team Evil Coach Hung (as Patrick Tse Yin)), Hui Li (as Banana Peel Girl), Cecilia Cheung (as Team Moustache Player 1), Karen Mok (as Team Moustache Player 2), Vincent Kok (as Team Puma Leader), Kai Man Tin (as Iron Shirt Tin (Third Brother)), Lam Tze Chung (as Light Weight (Small Brother)), Kwok-Kwan Chan (as Lightning Hands (Fourth Brother)), Mo Mei Lin (as Hooking Leg (Second Brother)), Ming Ming Zhang (as Little Hung), Pu Ye Dong (as Little Fung), Shi Zi Yun (as Team Evil Center)

A successful man with nostalgia for his days as a soccer player attempts to adopt an orphan so he can teach him all about his favorite sport. But soon after bringing the lad home, the new father is disappointed to discover that the lad is not interested in playing soccer. This creates tension, until a stray dog with a remarkable talent for playing soccer shows up and helps to bring father and new son together. 

I watched this movie with my kids. It was Skinemax quality without the skin. The only interesting person in the movie was Olivia d'Abo, and that is because she is a hottie. The kids were acting like they were being punished. The adults were worse. Do yourself a favor and rent Air Bud.

James Marshall (as Alden), Olivia d'Abo (as Elena), Jeremy Foley (as Clay), Sam McMurray (as Coach Shaw), Burton Gilliam (as The Mail Man), Billy Drago (as (Damon Fleming) The Dog Catcher), Kyle Gibson (as Vince), Evan Matthew Cohen (as Sonny (as Evan Cohen)), Brocker Way (as Berger), Bill Capizzi (as Vito), Kirk Baily (as Ref), Brad Grunberg (as Fundersburk), Carrie Genzel (as Reporter), Franklin Dennis Jones (as Coach Brody), Douglas S. Ornstein (as The Fan (as Doug Ornstein))