Bend It Like Beckham

 Bend It Like Beckham 2002

• Director: Gurinder Chadha
• Seen by this director: Paris je t’aime
• Based on the novel: no.
• Cast: Parminder Nagra, Kiera Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Pinjabi, Shaznay Lewis, Frank Harper, Juliet Stevenson, Shaheen Khan, Ameet Chana
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Parminder Nagra – Fortitude, Ella Enchanted, Curry Nam Nam
• Kiera Knightly – Pirates of the Caribbean etc, The Imitation Game, Never Let Me Go, Atonement, Love Actually, Star Wars Episode I
• Jonathan Rhys Meyes – Titus, Velvet Goldmine, Michael Collins
• Anupam Kher – Hotel Mumbai, Silver Linings Playbook
• Archie Pinjabi – The Fall, A Good Year, The Constant Gardener, White Teeth
• Frank Harper – This Is England, In the Name of the Father
• Juliet Stevenson – Breaking and Entering, Being Julia, Mona Lisa’s Smile
• Shaheen Khan – Doctor Who
• Why? I liked it the first time.
• Seen: Once before. Now 12 September 2021.      

       Girls. Football (soccer to you Yanks). Sister’s wedding plans. Cultural and generational collisions. Traditional gender mums – English born and Punjabi born.

       Jess (Nagra) talks to her poster of David Beckham and dreams. Jules (Knightley) watches Jess play football with the lads and asks her to join the girls football club. Girl power has many enemies and scoffers, but it prevails!

       Yes, it’s feel-good. Yes, there’s an unnecessary love triangle. Yes, I hate big family dos off all kinds.

       But I love this film.      

 4 * of 5