Bend It Like Beckham (film)

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

Bend It Like Beckham is true girl power. This glorious comedy centers on Jess (Parminder Nagra), an Indian girl born in England whose only desire is to become a football—or, as we say on this side of the Atlantic, soccer—star like her idol, David Beckham; but her traditional family refuses to even consider it. With the help of her new friend Juliet (Keira Knightley), Jess secretly joins a girls’ team under the guidance of a male coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As the team starts to gain some attention, Jess’s secret can’t be kept forever. The story of Bend It Like Beckham is so genuine and detailed that it transcends all the sports-movie formulas that it also fulfills with cheeky exuberance. Wonderfully acted, and written and directed with loving care by Gurinder Chadha (Bhaji on the Beach, What’s Cooking?), this movie is pure delight from start to finish. —Bret Fetzer

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For all its light-hearted comic interludes, Bend it like Beckham tackles contemporary issues of cultural clashes, female independence and the importance of family. Director Gurinder Chaddha tells the story of Jess Bhamra (Parminder K Nagra), a young girl brought up within the traditional boundaries of a Sikh family who manages to live out her fantasies in an uproarious way. Despite her parent’s grounded roots the anglicised Jess joins the Hounslow Harriers and, with the help of her friend Jules (Keira Knightley), sneaks out of the house to follow her dream of playing alongside all-time hero David Beckham.

The film draws interesting parallels between the two girls, one British and one Asian, highlighting that although their colour may be different many of their ideals are the same. Jules’ British mother is no less horrified by her daughter’s natural talent in soccer than Mrs Bhamra, and even mistakes one embrace between the girls as a lesbian relationship. Refreshingly, though, for once the parents are not portrayed as unreasonable: their disapproval of Jess’ chosen path is a result of their concern for her, and in the end they can’t help but to give in to her dreams. All in all, this is a film that shows the meaning of being British Asian today—and how it is possible for Asian girls to make round chapattis as well as to bend it like Beckham. —Anika Puri

Barnes and Noble

Arguably this year’s most charming comedy, Bend It Like Beckham is a flawlessly executed coming-of-age story structured around the cultural and intergenerational pressures faced by members of a girls’ soccer team in England. The movie focuses on Jesminder “Jess” Bhamira (played by radiant young Indian actress Parminder Nagra), whose immigrant Sikh parents disapprove of her obsession with soccer. They believe she should be honing her cooking skills and looking for a nice Indian boy to marry, but Jess rejects their entreaties and instead joins the Hounslow Harriers, developing a crush on her coach (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) into the bargain. The narrative developed by director and co-writer Gurinder Chadha isn’t startlingly original, but it is infectiously effervescent and unexpectedly moving. In this case, familiarity does not breed contempt, primarily because Chadha takes a commonsense approach to characterization and avoids clichés. Much of the credit for Beckham’s success belongs to its cast. Nagra makes her character independent-minded but not contemptuous of the cultural traditions to which her parents adhere. Jesminder’s friend and teammate, Juliette (Pirates of the Caribbean’s Keira Knightley), faces similar problems at home, especially from a doting mother (Juliet Stevenson) who can’t understand why her tomboy daughter wouldn’t rather wear a Wonderbra and adopt more girlish ways. The gentle tweaking of conventional values bespeaks affection and respect and places this eminently enjoyable movie far above its coarser Hollywood contemporaries. Ed Hulse

Related works

Bend It Like Beckham: Music from the Motion Picture

Various Artists

Underdog athlete triumphs against all the odds and finds more than mere victory in the bargain—it’s a cinematic tradition that stretches considerably beyond the Rocky franchise. But this 2002 UK hit about an East Asian immigrant teen who dreams of becoming a soccer star puts a winning new trans-cultural spin on the formula. The film’s song-score is as savory, playful and determined as the film itself, a rich collection of mostly contemporary tracks that shakes up an evocative cocktail of pop infused with soul, club mixes, cool jazz, new wave, traditional…